


Protection

by pink_notebook



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fluff, Gen, I’m in isolation and I’m bored, Kidnapping, Parties, Sexual Harrassment, Trauma, haise is their mother, mutsurie, mutsurie have relationship problems, really the whole fucking lot, soft stuff, spiked drinks, the quinx are criminal teens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:15:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23495161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pink_notebook/pseuds/pink_notebook
Summary: Haise is kidnapped by a group of shifty young adults after accidentally seeing their bomb. He slowly begins to discover that each has a dirty secret of their own, and it’s only a matter of time until they find out his...
Relationships: Mutsuki Tooru/Urie Kuki
Comments: 20
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

Loving his job didn't stop Haise from savouring his day off, especially one as pleasant as this. With the sun beating down on the city and the warm breeze of summer tickling the grass he had taken to the streets and found himself sitting just outside a nearby cafe, munching on a sandwich and sipping at their newest edition of some summer drink. His favourite book laid open at his palm, the words spilling out of the page and into the fictional world beginning to piece itself together within his mind, beckoning him away from reality and into a fantasy oasis. 

So far away perhaps, that had he not been reading, he might have noticed sooner the group of teens at the table beside him, or more importantly, the small, compact bomb they had hidden between them. 

But he didn't. 

"Are you finished with that sir?" the cute waitress asked with a gesture to his empty glass. Her metal badge displayed the name 'Touka' brightly beneath the shining sun. 

Haise felt a soft blush creeping onto his cheeks. His spontaneous decision to visit this cafe hadn't been _entirely_ random after all. He'd had a crush on the waitress ever since he had moved to the city, and made frequent at the cafe in hopes that she might someday notice him. 

"Yes, thankyou," he responded, setting his book down long enough to place the glass in her hand. She took it, and his fingertips briefly adored hers brushing against them before they slipped away to place the glass onto the tray she had balanced between her other arm and her hip. She gave him a brief, unreadable look before turning away. Haise's eyes couldn't help but follow her rich, iris coloured locks as she disappeared into the confines of the cafe once again. 

He sighed dreamily, chipper as he imagined plucking up enough courage to ask her on a date, or even just start up some conversation. He smiled lightly to himself, humouring the idea a little more before reminding himself that this wasn't some story. He wasn't the protagonist. And girls like _that_ certainly didn't accept dates from guys like _him_. He was a computer nerd after all. Having qualifications in computer science and maintaining a job at one of the city's leading technology offices certainly didn't impress the everyday person. This was Tokyo. Everyone had a high-ranking job. 

He pushed his rustled hair out of his face and gazed up at the sky, watching it become spotted with little white clouds. Everyone in Tokyo had a story. What was his?

"Kya! You're leaning on my hair!"

"Shit, sorry Saiko."

Haise turned his eyes away from the sky only to come across equally blue pigtails bouncing up and down at the table beside him. The short girl who they belonged to brushed the untamed waterfalls over her shoulders before her hands found themselves tapping at a keyboard. "It's okay."

This caught Haise's attention, not because it was unusual to see kids using technology nowadays, but the screen displayed something he did not expect anyone to understand. It shone with a bright blue, decorated with lists of white text which, upon closer examination, appeared to be some kind of code. 

The first wave of emotion to hit Haise was a pleasant feeling. He was stunned to see someone with a passion for coding similar to his own, particularly someone who was potentially younger than him. He had never seen the girl at work before, nor any of the friends beside her, but they all watched the screen intently as if they could read exactly what the binary code, she so professionally typed, said. 

It was this excitement which possessed Haise to rise from his seat and approach the group with a cheerful smile. "You guys seem pretty good at coding. Are you making a game?"

The next wave of emotion to wash over Haise was chilling regret, for 4 pairs of disapproving eyes immediately snapped to his direction. He felt dread claw at his stomach and was instantly certain he had done something horrifically wrong judging by the mixed looks on their faces, ranging from anger to fear. Haise smiled nervously, ready to back away and pretend that nothing had happened. 

And then the final emotion hit him like a truck. 

Fear. 

Suddenly, one of the teens was out of his seat and standing before Haise, but not in a way that might alarm someone watching from another table. The boy had straight, violet hair and piercing eyes to match. It wasn't this that startled Haise, but the cool metal of a blade pressed against his stomach, poised to pierce through his t-shirt and bury itself deep into his skin.

"Say a word and I'll stab you," the boy said, voice smooth yet chilling. Haise gulped, feeling a bead of cold sweat drip down his temple. His heart began to stutter in his chest, racing faster and faster as the morality of the situation dawned over him. 

Oh God. I don't want to die...

"Good," the boy responded to his silence. Haise couldn't help but glance at the other people around them. Couldn't anyone see what was happening? They were pressed so close together that perhaps the knife was invisible to others. He felt his panic grip him tighter. 

He turned his attention to the laptop screen. Whatever these kids were up to, it must be shady considering their reactions. The group passed mixed expressions between each other and the blue haired girl, having seen Haise snooping at the screen, quickly slammed the laptop shut. 

It was a few moments before one of the boys took initiative. He had bright hair somewhere between blond and ginger, and a broad stature which helped convince Haise that he had slim chances of winning a fight against the group. Upon opening his mouth, Haise saw a neat row of sharp teeth and paled further. What reason would someone modify their teeth like that unless it was to tear out someone's throat?

"Saiko, stay here and finish hacking the system. Make sure nobody else sees."

The blue haired girl, now deemed Saiko, nodded without question, flipping open the laptop and typing faster than before. Haise watched the code spread across the screen at an alarming rate, more than one destructive word present between the wash of numbers and incoherent letters. She slammed a finger on the enter button before the whole screen turned a bright green. 

Whatever they were hacking into, they'd done it successfully. 

"Mutsuki," he continued, leaving Saiko to her devices, "distract the customers and staff, especially that waitress who's got her eye on us."

A boy much smaller than shark-teeth, who Haise admittedly had barely noticed, turned his head towards said waitress. Haise followed suit, heart sinking upon seeing their eyes fixed upon Touka who was currently serving a customer with a relaxed smile. 

He watched unhappily as the boy, who had been named Mutsuki, slipped past a customer and glided over to Haise's table, picking up his tray with the plate on top. He headed towards the cafe, and with a sudden, calculated jolt, tripped and dropped the tray on the floor - the remains of Haise's sandwich splattering across the concrete. The crash attracted the attention of most people, and Touka came rushing out the cafe to help him up. 

Haise was a little embarrassed about the sudden pang jealousy as he watched Touka hold Mutsuki's hand and pull him up, fussing over the teen as if he had been hit by a car. However, before he could get too caught up in their affairs, he felt a slender hand on the small of his back, guiding him out of the safety of the cafe and into the streets. Haise panicked as he felt the violet-haired boy gently push him, shark-teeth to his other side.

"What should we do with him?" the purple haired boy questioned, voice low. "He saw the bomb."

"Don't worry, Urie," shark-teeth responded as the voice of reason. "I'll come up with something. Until then, we'll keep him at home."

Haise nervously bit his lip, wondering what exactly this 'something' entailed. Would they dispose of him? Dig up dirt so that they could blackmail him and keep him quiet? Threaten his friends or family? 

"Is that a good idea? He might escape..." the boy grumbled. 

"He won't."

"What about the other two?"

"They'll understand."

"But–"

"Urie, do you trust me?"

There was no hesitation. 

"Yes."

The two went silent after that, and Haise felt something unsaid passing between them. Something out of his reach. 

His heart continued to throb in his chest. It ached. Passing through the streets felt blurry and vague. He wished, if only someone knew what was happening, or, if only he were a little stronger, or faster. He wished he could get away, but as they approached the outskirts of the city and the streets became quieter, more dirty, he felt his wishes slipping through his fingers. He wished he was strong enough to try. 

They finally led him up the stairs of a quiet-looking apartment building. It cast a tall shadow over the narrow road, leaving Haise feeling dwarfed against the structure. The walls were littered with cracks and patches of brick where the grey paint had eroded away. Rust dripped from a leaky pipe and they had to jump more than one dodgy step when climbing the fire escape stairs. They stopped at door 304, shoving it open and pushing Haise inside first. 

What met his eyes was a rather quaint apartment. The sun that had been absent as a result of the large building shone through the windows onto a well-kept wooden floor. The place was small, so small that the kitchen and living area had been merged into one, barely holding enough space for a single two-person sofa, a fridge, an oven and a few countertops with chairs shoved against them as some kind of makeshift table. 

There was a broken doorway beside the fridge, leading to a room which appeared to glow with artificial light, although Haise could not see its source. Opposite the front door was a small corridor, housing only two doors which he assumed were a bedroom and a bathroom. The cream coloured walls and large window helped to open the place up, but Haise couldn't imagine how cramped the place felt on a grey day, especially with two people living here. 

Urie dragged one of the wooden chairs which rested against the countertops over to Haise, placing it before the sofa. He sat him down, yanking his arms behind his back and tying them in place with a cable wire. His wrists were not bound tightly and Haise felt that, with enough time, he could even slip away. 

Then shark-teeth sat on the sofa before him, and he felt his chances of escaping diminish. 

He looked at Haise, expression unreadable. Haise felt like melting into a puddle right there and then, disappearing into the floor. The only part of him that felt solid was his hammering heart, which had yet to cease its erratic beating. 

"Name," he finally said. 

"Huh?"

"What is your name?" he clarified. 

"Oh uh, Haise. Sasaki Haise," he responded, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. 

The boy nodded. "I'm Shirazu."

Haise couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Why were they making introductions?

"Who do you work for?" Shirazu continued. 

Haise gulped, feeling the wire burn against the skin on his wrists. "I-I'm a supporting technician at CCG Technologies. I only got the job recently..."

Shirazu crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the sofa. Urie stood at his side, giving Haise a cold yet unreadable expression. It seemed he had little to say. 

Before more words could be exchanged, the front door was opened and in came Saiko, carrying her laptop carefully with the bomb balanced on top. Haise's muscles tightened. Following her was Mutsuki whose hair shone a brilliant green when he pulled his hood down. He closed the door behind them, sliding the lock carefully across the latch before hurrying over to the rest of them and took up a position awfully close to Urie. Saiko slumped onto the sofa beside Shirazu, dropping the bomb on the floor carelessly and opening up her screen once again.

"Saiko," Shirazu started, "I need you to look into Sasaki Haise as part of CCG Technologies. If he's telling the truth, see if you can find anything else out, if he's not- well... we'll deal with him accordingly."

Haise's heart raced a little faster. 

Saiko nodded and the clicking of her keyboard ensued at a rapid pace, her lazy gaze lingering on the screen. 

Haise looked towards Shirazu. He was a broad guy, with a scary set of teeth and silver piercings decorating his ears, yet Haise felt he seemed almost friendly. His mannerisms seemed more clumsy than aggressive, and his relaxed expression seemed kinder than a glare. 

Haise could not say the same for Urie however, whose gaze did nothing but slice into Haise's skin until it was itching with discomfort. Urie was thinner and leaner but sharper than Shirazu. He seemed irritated, but not necessarily for any particular reason. Haise felt that if he were a genre of book, he would be a gothic horror, or perhaps a crime. A story where all is never revealed, and opinions are left to a reader's perspective. 

Despite Urie's crossed arms, Mutsuki clung loyally, his hands linked between the gap at his elbow. He was shorter than the other boys, his cheek pressing only just at Urie's shoulder as he leant against him. Mutsuki didn't seem threatening. In fact, Haise would have easier described him as cute. Round face, smooth lips and one big, green eye, the other concealed behind a soft, white eyepatch which struck out against his sienna skin. 

"Done," Saiko said, snapping Haise from his assessment of the group. 

"Let's see..." she continued, scanning the screen. "Sasaki Haise, 21, lives alone with his pet dog called Hide."

Haise blushed. 

"There's not much information about him before the age of 20..." she mumbled, brows furrowing. "Hang on, he must have changed his identity."

Haise felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Where did they get all this information on him from? What were they going to do with it?

"Ah! Here it is. Kaneki Ken, went missing aged 19 after being involved with Rize."

"Rize?" Urie exclaimed. "How does he know her?"

Saiko shrugged. Haise felt very cold. 

"Strange," she said slowly. "The day he went ‘missing’ was the day she died."

Urie's lip curled in disgust. "And good riddance. She was such a disgusting human."

Haise's head was swimming. So many questions buzzed at the tip of his tongue, reading to spring forwards if not for the fear locking his lips shut.

How did they know about Rize? She was his girlfriend back in college – his first and last. They shared a common interest in books and spent a number of dates at a library or a manga cafe. She was way out of his league and he knew it, yet he considered himself lucky. 

It was almost hilarious now – now he could see it all in hindsight. She had been using his assets: his dorm room to stay hidden from the streets, his innocence to appear normal and bland, and his credit card to deal dark money online, trafficking weapons, substances and worst of all, humans. 

He found out she was part of a mass underground organisation infamous as a restaurant marketed towards cannibals. He found out she had been buying, selling, killing and eating people. People at his college. People he knew. People that had gone missing without a trace and it was because _he_ let her in in the first place. 

He remembered the gut-wrenching sickness he felt, knowing he was almost an accomplice in this hideous crime. He remembered washing his mouth out with soap over and over, trying not to picture all the times he had kissed her and noticed an off taste to her lips. He remembered her inviting him out for a walk that night, and how his hands trembled with every step. She knew. She knew. She'll kill me.

And then a freak accident happened and Rize was crushed like nothing more than a bug on the dirty window of the world. Just like that, Kaneki fled. Who knows what the police would dig up with her dead body. Evidence of what she'd done – or evidence of his involvement. 

He left with his skills and became Haise. A blank slate. A new start. 

He had left his filthy past behind him, and now these kids were dragging it all back up again and it made him sick. 

Literally, sick. 

"Ew!" Saiko exclaimed as Haise threw up that cafe sandwich onto their nice, clean floor. 

"Jeez, what a pussy," Urie scoffed, actually cracking a smirk. 

Mutsuki jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow, earning a small, disgruntled noise from Urie. The green-haired boy disappeared down the corridor briefly before returning with a wet rag and, much to Haise's surprise, began to clean up the mess. 

An almost sympathetic look crossed Mutsuki's expression as he cleared Haise's face, but Haise could only see pity. He felt pathetic. Only the mention of the name Rize had brought up such disgust, such filthy memories that it scrunched his stomach tight. 

"I guess she really messed him up, huh," Mutsuki said gently with a pout. He tossed a look over his shoulders at the others who all seemed to share a concern for Haise, less so maybe Urie. 

"What are we gonna do, Shira?" Saiko asked, her big, blue eyes staring up at who seemed to be the leader of the pack. 

Shirazu sighed. A worried expression crossed his features before it quickly moulded back to an unreadable expression. He stood and approached Haise, Mutsuki quickly shuffling out the way, then crouched before him. 

"Listen up, Kaneki," Shirazu said. The mention of his old name grabbed Haise's attention, locking eyes with the boy. "We're gonna keep you here with us. You do as we say, you understand? You do as we say or we'll let your dog starve at your house."

That really pulled on Haise's heartstrings, his head quickly lowering. They would really kill his dog? He couldn't chance it. He knew he'd have to listen to them if he wanted to protect Hide. 

"If you run away, or leave our sights we'll go to the police and tell them exactly how you were involved with Rize, do you understand? Hey, listen." Haise lifted his head slowly. "We'll tell them that you were part of her little organisation. It won't be hard to believe considering you've been missing since it shut down. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Haise said, defeated. 

"You sure..?"

Haise looked at Shirazu, who seemed uncertain. Why was he being so careful? What did the group have to hide?

"I'm sure."

Shirazu's face instantly melted into a softer expression of relief. "Ah good 'cause I was getting tired of putting on that tough-guy act!"

Haise was a little taken aback. 

Shirazu got up, untied Haise's hands and gave him a playful yet hard clap on the back. "Sorry about that, man. Couldn't have you trying to get away or anything, y'know?"

"Huh?"

"Shirazu!" Urie complained. "Don't be too nice or he'll think you were kidding."

"Aw, but I don't wanna scare the poor guy. He already threw up," Shirazu whined as he slumped back on the sofa beside Saiko. 

In fact, everyone seemed to relax now Haise had agreed to their conditions. Saiko grabbed her laptop and evacuated to the glowing room behind the kitchen, grabbing a snack on the way. Urie took her seat and popped open a can of some fizzy drink, sharing it with Mutsuki who perched on the arm of the chair beside him. 

Haise was surprised. Happy surprised of course, after all, he wasn't bleeding out in some horrible death or something, but surprised nonetheless. 

"So... you're not going to kill me?" he questioned nervously. 

"Why would we kill you?" Shirazu chuckled. 

_Uhh, I dunno. Maybe because you kidnapped me and tied me up and threatened my dog and blackmailed me but sure, I'm crazy for thinking that._ Haise sighed but shrugged to avoid confrontation. 

"Hey look," Shirazu started. "It's not your fault you got mixed up in all this, but it's not ours either. Keep your side of the bargain for a while, and when the tension has settled in the area, we'll let you go."

"Really?"

"Of course. You're not a bad guy."

"So I can leave?" Haise said hopefully, rising from his chair. 

A look of alarm flashed across Shirazu's face. "Well, not right now! In a few weeks."

"Oh..." was all Haise mustered as he sank back into his seat. He let out another sigh, reviewing the situation in his head. Perhaps if he just did what they said, they'd really let him go. 

It was all he could hope.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haise being a dad for 4000 words straight

Haise had been at the house almost 24 hours when the first argument broke out. He found himself settled on the sofa with a manga Saiko had offered him to pass the time when there was a loud crash from the bedroom down the hall and muffled voices rose. 

"They're at it again," Shirazu sighed, barely looking up from the weapon he was busy assembling on the floor. 

"What are they arguing about?" Haise asked, straining his ears to catch the fued. 

Shirazu lifted the gun into his hands and fiddled with the trigger before setting it back down. Haise found it difficult to get used to the arsenal of weapons sprawled around the house. "It's always the same thing," he explained. 

"What?" Haise closed the book, interest peaking. 

Shirazu laughed. "Mutsuki has a crush on Urie."

Haise made an 'o' shape with his mouth. "So it's a one sided thing?"

"No no," Shirazu quickly corrected. "Urie likes him back."

Haise raised an eyebrow. "Then what's the problem?"

"That's the thing, Urie won't say. He's a stubborn ass most of the time, but when it comes to Mutsuki he's particularly distant. They obviously like each other, but something's holding him back."

There was another crash from the bedroom. 

"What's holding him back?"

Shirazu shrugged. "I dunno, he won't tell anyone."

Haise's attention returned to the bedroom when the door flung open and Mutsuki came storming out the room, turning to give Urie one last _"Well fuck you then!"_ before slamming the door shut. He stomped into the living and sat on the sofa with such force that Haise's own body was flung upwards a little. 

"I hate him!" Mutsuki seethed. 

"No you don't," Shirazu responded calmly, fiddling with the mechanics of the gun. 

"Yes I do. I really do hate him," Mutsuki insisted. 

"Fine, you hate him, but don't let that fuck up the mission tonight," Shirazu said, beginning to finish up whatever he was doing to the weapon. 

Haise's eyes opened a little wider. "Mission? What mission?"

Shirazu stood, swinging the gun over his shoulder casually. "Ah, don't worry about it. You'll be staying here with Saiko anyway."

Haise hoped it didn't have anything to do with that killing machine that Shirazu had hanging from his shoulder. He watched as he left to Saiko's glowing room, the door closing behind him. 

Immediately, an awkwardness built like thick snow. Haise was left alone on the sofa with an angry Mutsuki who he didn't even know that well. Both were very quiet for a long time, neither brave enough to break the tension. 

Haise supposed that, as the older of the two, he should at least attempt to somewhat comfort the younger boy. 

"Hey," he started, reaching out the place a hand on Mutsuki's shoulder reassuringly. The moment he felt it, Mutsuki pulled away and whined as if Haise's mere fingertips had burned him. 

Haise's hand retreated quickly. This was a worse case of moody teenager than he had anticipated. 

"You know what my favourite thing to do is when I'm upset?" No response. "I like to read my favourite book. It takes me away from whatever's troubling me, and when I return to reality, I'm often in a better mood after spending time with my favourite characters." He smiled, met with silence. "What's your favourite book?"

The boy shrugged. "Can't read..."

Haise blinked and then smiled. "That's okay, I'll teach you how! We can just start with the basic alphabet and from there–"

"No, I can _read_ just not very well."

"Oh."

Again, the room began to pile with silence. Haise shifted uncomfortably in his seat, tempted to reopen the manga Saiko gave him but unsure if it would come across as rude. 

He glanced at Mutsuki who stared at the wall with a defeated expression. The poor kid looked exhausted. In fact, all of them looked exhausted in their own way. It made Haise wonder what they were doing sharing a house in the first place. He had picked up small hints, snippets of conversations here and there which suggested they were working together on something, but he didn't have the guts to ask. He didn't want to know the answer. 

"How old are you?" Haise asked after a while. 

"Sixteen," Mutsuki responded. The quiet boy finally shared a glance with Haise, expression more relaxed than before. 

Okay, time for a dad lesson. 

"You're young," Haise started. "You're so young. You should be in school, not hanging around in this place. What are you doing here?"

Mutsuki ducked his head a little. "It's complicated..."

"You're only just starting your journey in life. All the experiences you have in the next few years will lay the foundations for the rest of your life. Why don't you go to school? Get a job?"

"I told you, it's complicated," Mutsuki whined. "Besides, I like it here. I like my friends. They're good role models."

"Even Urie?"

Mutsuki leant back on the sofa, letting out a loud sigh. "Don't remind me of that asshole. You know, sometimes I wish he'd slam his stupid face into the stupid wall!"

His voice rose until he was certain that Urie would be able to hear, even from the bedroom. Maybe that was the point. Haise brought the tone of the conversation back down so as not to cause another argument to ensue. 

"Mutsuki, you can't force someone to like you."

"I'm not!" he whined, upset. Mutsuki didn’t have time to ponder whether it was a good idea to rant about something so personal to someone so new – his emotions tended to take control when he was upset. "He tells me he likes me, he leads me on and then he lets me down at the last minute! Sometimes he likes to hold hands or, you know, other stuff," he said, blushing lightly and making a vague gesture with his hand. "And other times, he treats me like some kind if plague that he doesn't want anywhere near him! It's unfair. I feel like he doesn't even want to be around me half the time..."

Sixteen was too young to be so worried about love, but seeing the distress it caused the young boy, the feelings of doubt and self-criticism, Haise knew he had to help. Besides, he was somewhat curious to know about this seemly Jekyll and Hyde personality that Urie had. In fact, he wanted to grow closer to all of them. With the exception of the weapons, the kidnapping and the odd family dynamic, the group seemed just like lost kids trying to find their way. 

Haise decided he would attempt to train the young pups and guide them onto what he felt would be a safe and secure path in life. He would father them as best he could until set free and, hopefully, he could make a difference to their lives. 

"Well, I don't have much wisdom in the ways of love," Haise chuckled gently. "But don't worry, I'm sure Urie is just figuring things out on his own for now. He'll come around eventually. He does seem to like you a lot more than the others I've noticed, and I've only been here a day."

Mutsuki lifted his head a little, looking towards Haise. "Really?"

"Sure! You have a great personality, he'd be missing out if he let you go."

Haise saw something light up in Mutsuki's eyes that he hadn't seen before. Perhaps it was hope, perhaps something else. He didn't dwell on it too much because Mutsuki's face melted into a content and thankful smile and it made Haise's heart throb. He really wished they'd smile more. 

"Toru," Urie called, coming out from the bedroom and towards the living room. He appeared more calm than before, but it was difficult to tell if he was relaxed or irritated when his face was curved into what seemed to be a permanent frown. 

Mutsuki sprang up from the chair and went straight back to him with an excited smile. "Urie!" Haise wondered if the argument had even happened now that it seemed so forgotten. 

Urie took one look at Haise before picking Mutsuki up briefly and placing him down somewhere further from the sofa. "You shouldn't be in here alone with that guy."

"Why not? He was being nice to me," Mutsuki said, peering around Urie to give Haise a smile. 

Urie stepped in the way and Haise frowned. "Well yeah, obviously he's gonna be nice to you so he can trick you into letting him escape."

"Actually, I was just trying to be nice," Haise responded with a small, nervous smile.

"Actually, I wasn't talking to you," Urie snapped before turning back to Mutsuki, voice instantly softening. "You should start to get ready, it's already the afternoon. I'll stay in here and keep an eye on him."

"Okay," was Mutsuki's response before he sauntered off into the bedroom down the hall. Haise wondered what exactly it was they were supposed to be getting ready for. Was it that mission that Shirazu had mentioned earlier? 

Now alone with Urie, Haise took a moment to observe the boy. He seemed young too, eighteen, maybe nineteen judging from the faint shadow of facial hair. His body was stiff, gaze set stern as if he was ready to pounce at the first thing that moved. Haise subtly noted that he was a rather attractive young man too, with sleek, purple hair and a sharp, clear jawline to frame his face. Haise imagined it wouldn't be difficult for him to get a job anywhere; he knew a number of families which would be more than delighted to have a young man like Urie as their butler. 

"What are you looking at?" Urie snapped, catching Haise's attention.

"Ahh! Nothing," Haise responded quickly, turning his gaze downwards. 

It was a few, suffocating minutes before Shirazu reentered the room, slouching against the counter and letting out a long sigh. "That took longer than I thought... we'll have to order something to eat."

Urie turned his attention from Haise to Shirazu, expression softening slightly. "Are you sure? Is there nothing quick we can make?"

"Not unless we wanna be late," Shirazu said, glancing at a small black clock on the wall. "I still need to fix your earpiece. Is Mutsuki getting changed?"

"Yeah, he's in the bedroom. Pizza?"

Shirazu nodded glumly and pulled a tattered brown wallet from his jeans. Urie wandered over to the counter as Shirazu emptied the contents of his wallet and Haise watched as a mere few coins came toppling onto the smooth surface. They exchanged an unsure look. 

"We can afford a small maybe..."

Haise quickly rose from his seat. "Do you guys need to do something? I can cook dinner for you."

The boys turned to Haise with mixed expressions. 

"Sure! Sounds like a good idea," Shirazu said cheerfully. 

"Absolutely not," Urie snapped back. 

Shirazu frowned at him. "Well it sounds like a good idea to me, unless you wanna go hungry again," he scolded. 

Urie's face set into a frown, glaring at Haise. "Whatever. If we get poisoned, I'm blaming you, Shirazu."

"Yeah yeah, stop your complaining and go get ready," Shirazu said dismissively, scooping the coins back into his wallet. Urie made his way down the corridor and into the bathroom in moody silence. Shirazu stood and retrieved a machine the size of a pea from the coffee table and brought it to the counter where he settled with a few tools. 

Haise opened up the fridge, noticing there was not much for him to work with, especially to feed five people. He decided on a stew to keep them going until their next meal, whenever that would be, and made quick work of slicing and dicing the vegetables. 

He moved them to a pot and set it on the stove, attempting the crank the heat up. Shirazu lifted his head from what he was doing. "Sometimes you gotta kick the oven to get it working," he advised. Haise hesitated but did as he said and sure enough, the stove lit with fire to cook their meal. 

Haise glanced around the room again: necessities that didn't work, a sofa that could only fit two people, barely enough money to get by each day with a meal shared between them – they were living in complete poverty. It made Haise's stomach sink with bitter pity. 

"Hey, Shirazu," he asked slowly. The ginger mumbled in response, clearly absorbed in fixing the tiny machine. "How comes you all live here? How did you meet each other?"

"Me 'n Urie went to school together, so we go way back." He lifted the mechanism into the light before setting it back on the table, twisting it between his fingers. "My mum died when I was young and my dad committed suicide when I was seventeen so I had to move out. Me and my sister lived in a nice apartment for a while off the money our parents passed down, but then she got real sick, and the hospital bills got more and more expensive. I moved here so that more money can go to her life support rather than my rent."

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Haise said slowly, lifting one hand to cover his mouth. "I didn't mean to pry or anything."

"Nah, it's fine," Shirazu said, lifting his head to offer a reassuring smile. Haise nodded, returning to the stove to check the meal. "Urie asked to move in a few weeks later. He needed a cheap place to stay so he could afford his father's funeral costs." Haise's teeth clenched – this story was getting worse by the minute. "I agreed because he's my friend and that way we could split the cost of the apartment. Saiko came along a few months after and Mutsuki a year or so after that."

"Why?" Haise couldn't help but inquire. Their story was an intriguing one, almost like one of the many book's he's read. 

"I'll tell you later," Shirazu said, apparently finished with the little machine he had been fiddling with. "I gotta go get ready. Thanks for cooking dinner!"

With that, he quickly disappeared down the corridor and out of Haise's sight. 

Haise sighed, pondering the story he had been told. It was such a melancholy narrative, and he felt even more compelled to care for the young group, even if he was only a few years older himself. If Shirazu and Urie had been thrown from their home nest so early, he wondered if the case was even worse for Mutsuki and Saiko. 

Speaking of the blue-haired girl, the door by the kitchen cracked open and Haise saw her head poke out. 

"I smell food," she said, an intrigued look on her face. 

Haise smiled. "I'm cooking stew. It's almost ready."

Her mouth opened in surprise and for the first time that day she left her room to come and see what he was doing. She gazed at the food longingly and Haise began to wonder just how long it had been since the group’s last meal. Then again, the others didn't seem desperate for dinner. Perhaps Saiko was just a foodie. 

"Hey Saiko, how old are you?" Haise inquired, mostly to fill the silence more than anything. 

She gave him a lazy smile. "Eighteen," she said, holding up one finger in one hand and three in the other. Haise wasn't exactly sure how that translated to eighteen but nodded anyway. "And the others?"

She stood on her tiptoes to observe the food simmering in the pot. "Mucchan is sixteen, Uri is eighteen and Shira is nineteen."

Haise laughed. "You must be pretty close if they let you give them nicknames."

She hummed in approval. "Of course, we're family." Haise smiled lightly. "You're Maman."

"Huh?"

"I couldn't pick between Haise and Kaneki, so you're Maman."

Haise laughed a little. Saiko was sweet and she made him feel comfortable despite having hardly spoken to her. He was glad he could stay at home with her this evening.

Haise lifted the pot and began to divide it between the bowls. He heard the bedroom door open and loud footsteps clip against the wooden floor but when he looked up he was so surprised at what he saw that he almost dropped the bowl completely. 

"Hey Mucchan," Saiko said casually, as if the teenage boy wasn't standing there in a short, gold dress, 4-inch heels and a full face of makeup. 

Haise's mind felt like a seesaw as it rocked between interpreting the person in front of him as male or female. Up until this point, when they said they were 'getting ready', Haise assumed they meant showered and maybe a change of clothes. He really didn't expect one of them to come back a whole different gender. It was almost as surprising as seeing Urie smile. 

Mutsuki shifted uncomfortably under Haise's intrigued gaze. Green curled hair flicked over his shoulder as he looked down, flashing pretty golden eyeshadow at Haise. "Why are you staring..?"

"Maman's never seen boobs before," Saiko said with a mischievous giggle. 

Mutsuki's cheeks flushed red and as did Haise's. "I was not looking at his– _her_ chest! I was just– I didn't know that she was a... she."

Saiko burst into laughter at Haise's flustered response and Mutsuki groaned. 

"I'm not a _she_ , I just have the body of one." He spat the words like he'd said them a thousand times. "And I need to use it for tonight so don't get the wrong idea."

"Use it?" Haise asked. 

"Can we not talk about this?" Mutsuki whined.

"Talk about what?" Urie asked, emerging from the bathroom dressed in a sleek, black tuxedo. Haise had never questioned his sexuality more. 

"Mucchan's boobs."

"Saiko!"

"It's the truth!"

Mutsuki let out a cry that almost sounded as if he was in pain before turning and burying his face into Urie's chest. He mumbled something Haise couldn't quite catch as Urie lifted his hand to gently pat Mutsuki's head and comfort him. 

To try and mend the situation, Haise handed each of them their bowl. Saiko instantly went silent as she grabbed the bowl and began to eat at a fast pace, letting out little delighted "mmm"s every now and then. Urie was apprehensive but began to eat too and once Mutsuki had gotten over his wave of dysphoria he too began to enjoy the meal. 

"So how comes you're both dressed up?" Haise asked as he picked up a chunk of carrot between his chopsticks. 

"We have a mission," Saiko responded when neither of the other two appeared ready to answer. She wiped sauce away from her lips and wiggled her eyebrows at Haise. "They've gotta blend in. It's a millionaire's party."

"Saiko," Urie muttered warningly.

"What? He's gonna find out anyway," Saiko sassed back. She turned to Haise again with a smile, bowl empty. "You know that girl you mentioned before? Rize? Well she owned an underground restaurant which served human meat as food."

Haise struggled to swallow his chunk of beef. "I know."

"Well anyway," she continued, unbothered. "There's this rich guy called Tsukiyama who's keeping the restaurant running and thriving. I've been trying to hack his building system for weeks to get information on the place, but it's so secure that even I can't get in."

"You hack?" Haise inquired. 

"Well what did you think I was doing at that cafe?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He thought back to yesterday and the mysterious code spread across her computer screen. "Anyway, he's throwing a huge party tonight at his business in the city where all his technology and information will be. To get into the system we'll have to directly install a drive so I can get a closer look at the code. Hopefully that way I'll be able to access their information."

Haise thought for a moment, staring at the dumpling in his bowl. "You know, that could work, but the system may detect the drive before you can even try."

"Huh?" All three teenagers looked up from their food at Haise. He looked back at them. 

"There's a new system in lots of high tech companies at the moment which detects new drives or installations. It will instantly reject anything that hasn't been pre-approved by the company," he explained. "I know all about it because I've been working on it's improvement at CCG Technologies."

"Shit," Urie said. 

Saiko whined. "I've never heard of this before."

"It's pretty recent," Haise explained. 

"So what are we going to do?" Mutsuki said, face filled with worry. "Our whole plan is ruined."

The group remained silent for a moment before Haise spoke up again. "You know, if you really want to get into the system, there is a loophole I can think of."

Saiko sat up straighter on her seat.

"If you install a virus, the system's rejection process will be overridden to remove the unwanted code. While it's removing the virus, your drive will remain intact and you can get into the system."

"My head is swimming," Mutsuki complained. 

He looked at Urie and Mutsuki who were clearly less educated in the language of coding. He began to explain it more simply. "If you get a serious cut, what's the first thing you do?"

"Try to stop the bleeding?" answered Mutsuki. 

"Exactly. You're not thinking about applying ointment or preventing infection yet. You're dealing with the biggest problem in the moment which is losing blood." They met him with blank expressions. 

"It's the same with the computer system," Saiko helped explain. "If we install a virus, the only thing the system can think about at that moment is preventing it from spreading, the same how we only focus on stopping the bleeding. If the virus is the blood, our drive is the infection. While the system is busy, I can use that time to infiltrate and copy the information over before it rejects the drive."

Mutsuki's mouth opened with realisation and Urie rose an eyebrow. "Smart."

"You'll have to be quick though," Haise explained. "It won't take long for the system to remove the virus. You'll only have a few minutes to copy all the information over. Can you do that?"

Saiko scoffed. "Easy as finishing a tub of ice cream."

Shirazu came into the room wearing formal attire like the other two, yet still managing to look a little scruffy. Mutsuki made his way over to the ginger, carefully braiding his hair into a neat plait. 

"Shirazu, change of plan," Saiko said, grabbing a new drive with a little red skull drawn on it.

"You can't change the plan, I'm the leader," he said with a frown. 

She placed the drive carefully into his pocket and covered it with a little while cloth. "Just trust me, okay?"

"I do," he responded quickly. "But I need to know the new plan."

"There's no change, just use that drive instead of the other one. We’re using a virus instead."

"Alright."

"So are we ready?" Urie said, standing up straighter. Mutsuki finished tying Shirazu's hair back and quickly returned to Urie's side. Haise gazed at the three teens; they looked so elegant. They really did seem like they'd fit in at a millionaire's extravaganza. 

Shirazu passed each of them a little machine like the one he was fixing earlier and only now did Haise realise they were earpieces. They all placed them carefully as Saiko handed the three of them an entrance ticket to the party. "Don't lose that, it took me forever to replicate his stupid invites."

Haise watched at the four of them exchanged final confirmations of the plan before Shirazu, Urie and Mutsuki took their leave dressed like superstars. 

Saiko glanced at Haise and gave him a sly smile. "Let's get this party started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t worry!! All the quinx will get their moments with Haise :)) it makes me wonder who everyone’s favourite quinx is? I’ll keep mine a secret for now haha,,


	3. Chapter 3

After finishing the washing up, Saiko had invited Haise into her glowing room by the kitchen. Upon entering, he found that the artificial light was in fact from a mass number of screens sprawled across one wall from the ceiling to the desk. 

Haise's mouth dropped open as he looked at the intense system, each screen displaying some version of a security camera, blueprint or never ending code. Honestly, his inner nerd was screaming. He loved it. It was like his dream setup, all running smoothly and displaying everything he needed. He felt almost as if he were in one of those spy movies where the side-kick was the eyes and the ears of the whole building.

"Like what you see?" Saiko giggled, watching Haise quickly close his mouth. She placed a headset on and handed one to Haise. He carefully placed it over his ears, hearing nothing but silence. Her deft fingers made quick work of the three keyboards spread across the desk as she flicked between screens and information, the audio of the headsets suddenly springing to life. 

"Saiko Yonebayashi here, how can I take your order?"

"Saiko, shut up," Haise heard Urie's voice loud and clear through the headpiece. 

"Are you there yet?" she inquired. 

Shirazu was the one to respond. "We're in the queue to get in. They're checking the tickets real carefully so you better have made these look legit."

Saiko leant back in her chair and stuffed her hand into a bag of popcorn. She pulled a handful out and shoved it into her mouth, responding, rather muffled, with, "Saiko always makes it legit."

While munching her popcorn, Saiko pulled one of the keyboards onto her lap and began to type too fast for Haise to see what it was. She gestured for him to grab a chair so he quickly left the room to grab one of their kitchen stools. 

Upon returning, most of the screens now displayed security camera images of the venue. He could see a grand room, littered with tables and a dance floor and a bar towards one corner. The room was already packed with people, all dressed to impress, chattering together and sipping glasses of champagne or colourful cocktails. The room was dimly lit with golden chandeliers and a smooth, red rug laid out pathways across the floor and towards a number of exits, each guarded by a bodyguard. 

Haise looked towards another screen where he could see the queue stretching outside the building. He noticed Urie, Shirazu and Mutsuki there, getting their tickets checked as they attempted to enter. Haise held his breath. 

He watched the security guard look them up and down, mostly Shirazu, and then reluctantly moved out the way so they could pass through. 

"We're in," said Urie through the earpiece. 

"Mmkay," Saiko hummed, flicking through camera angles. "Tsukiyama is at the bar. There's a computer in the room to the left of it. Mustuki, you know what you're doing?"

Haise heard a sigh. "I'm on it."

He watched the screens as Urie and Shirazu spread out into the crowd, making themselves appear natural and one with the aristocrats. 

Mutsuki made his way straight to the bar. Haise gasped. 

"He's sixteen! He should not be at the bar," he complained.

"Oh come on, he won't drink anything," Saiko replied, "unless someone buys something for him."

"What!?"

"Shh, you're gonna put him off."

Haise groaned but watched as Mutsuki easily slipped onto the stool beside Tsukiyama, instantly catching the man's attention. 

It was faint, but Haise could make out his voice through Mutsuki's earpiece. 

"Ah, Mademoiselle, you look as radiant as a rose."

Haise cringed. Was that his pickup line?

Mutsuki played along, giggling and tossing his hair over his shoulder. "I could say the same about you, Sir."

"Can I buy you a drink?"

~

One hour and thirty-six minutes. 

One hour and thirty-six minutes Haise had to sit there and listen to Tsukiyama's boasting and sickly flirting. One hour and thirty-six minutes he had to listen to Mutsuki giggle and gasp in fake excitement as Tsukiyama spoke about his mansions and his cars and his stupid rose garden with 'every colour your sparkling eyes could wish to behold, my love'.

Haise was sure he could tear his ears off any minute now, and by the looks of Urie, he felt the same. Shirazu had made conversation with a pretty young lady at one of the tables, blurring himself with the rest of the crowd. Saiko napped. 

"Ah yes, and I have bodyguards at every event I hold. They're completely loyal to me. I can trust them with my life," Tsukiyama boasted, casting glances at Mutsuki to see if he was impressed. 

Mutsuki took this as his time to strike, gasping. "Really? Oh how wonderful! You must be such an amazing boss if they listen to you that well." Tsukiyama chuckled proudly. "May I meet them? I want to hear all the lovely things they say about you," he gushed, and Tsukiyama jumped at the opportunity to be admired even more. 

He pulled out his phone, calling each of the bodyguards away from their posts and over to the bar one by one. Shirazu and Urie, paying close attention to what was happening, regrouped, and the moment the bodyguard by the bar left his station, they sped through the doorway and into the room just past it. 

"Saiko, we're here," Shirazu said. She merely snored in response. "Saiko!"

She jumped awake. "What what yes, Yonebayashi here!" 

Haise was on the edge of his seat. 

Instantly, she was submerged back into the mission, giving instructions. "You're in? Go to the second computer on the left, yeah that one, and then unlock it with the code BZ8F6. You got that? BZ8F6. That's right, all caps."

Shirazu was on it, and Haise watched with rattling nerves as he quickly unlocked the computer and began to work his way through the files. She directed him where to go in order to find the best possible area to place their virus and cause maximum damage. 

Urie stood in the doorway, keeping watch of the doorway with one hand tucked consciously under his blazer. His sharp eyes remained stiff on the corridor, the party distant at the other end. 

Saiko briefly turned her attention to a different screen, where Mutsuki was still chattering away with Tsukiyama and one of the bodyguards. "Toru, the guards and Tsukiyama are going to get a message when the system becomes hacked. Can you keep Tsukiyama occupied? Urie can deal with the guards."

Mutsuki put his hands behind his back, giving a subtle thumbs up to Saiko so she could return to directing Shirazu. Haise felt tense. What if they got caught? Those bodyguards had guns. What if his idea didn't work? What if Tsukiyama found out that it was a distraction and did something to Mutsuki? 

Bad endings washed through his mind, making his jaw clench. Even Saiko seemed to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation as she scooted her chair closer to the screens, eyes locked and focused, popcorn forgotten.

While Saiko remained fixated on what Shirazu was doing, Haise watched Mutsuki's screen, noticing him slide his hand into Tsukiyama's. Taking the hint, the millionaire dismissed the bodyguard and led Mutsuki down an empty corridor opposite to the one Urie and Shirazu were. 

The loudness of the party became distant, and the silence of the corridor seemed warm and inviting. The walls were red and large paintings hung in golden frames. Mutsuki gasped in delight, stepping towards one but keeping a grip on Tsukiyama's hand. "They're beautiful..." he breathed. He really was a wonderful little actor. 

"Mademoiselle," Tsukiyama began, and Haise got ready to cringe. "The only masterpiece here is you."

Yep. Haise grimaced. 

He watched Tsukiyama step closer to the teen, anticipation building in his chest, but suddenly the screen went dark and the audio died in his ear. 

"Huh?" He watched as, seemingly unaware, Saiko continued to guide Shirazu, giving him the last few instructions on what to do. "Saiko, we've lost connection with Mutsuki."

"No we haven't, I just muted his microphone," she replied, eyes still glued to Shirazu's screen. 

"What? Why? He could be in trouble."

Saiko sighed and gave Haise a look. With one click of a button, the screen returned to life and the audio came crisp in his ear. If Haise was cringed out before, he clearly didn't expect to see Mutsuki pressed back against the corridor wall, hands laced through Tsukiyama's hair as he held the teen's waist and their mouths locked in a passionate kiss. The gross sounds of sighs and wet tongues penetrated Haise's poor ears, and it was only three seconds before he was begging Saiko to turn it off. 

She did so with delight, and both Mutsuki's screen and audio returned to mute. 

That certainly was one way to keep someone distracted.

Haise sighed. "Gross..."

"Don't worry, he can handle himself," she reassured. She gave Haise a wink before turning back to her main screen, watching a copy of what was happening on Shirazu's computer. The files flicked past as he delved deeper into the computer's inner code, stopping deliberately. "Okay Shirazu, activate the virus now." 

Haise sighed but watched as Shirazu carefully slid the drive into the computer and set the virus ready to go. As soon as it began, it was detected, and security guards around the building began to become notified via earpieces. 

They exchanged looks, two of them abandoning their posts to investigate. They approached the corridor, hands reaching under their jackets for a weapon. 

"Urie, two guards coming right your way," she warned. 

"Got it," was his response as he ducked behind the doorway calmly. 

Saiko's hands immediately began to dance across the keyboard, using the few minutes the system was distracted to copy all the documents. Haise watched as information began to spill onto the other screens; folders and folders all titled 'top secret' or 'classified'. 

Two guards neared the room, pulling out handguns from their pockets. Haise's heart lurched in his chest as the weight of this 'mission' came crashing down on him. They were all risking their lives for this information, and he would not let them die. 

Saiko was looking at a different screen, so Haise took it upon himself to warn them. "Urie, the guards have guns! Get out of there! You–!"

Two loud gunshots blasted through the earpiece and Haise saw as Urie jumped out from behind the doorway and shot the guards dead. No hesitation. No remorse. 

"I'm aware, idiot! Don't freak me out like that," Urie hissed. 

Haise's mouth was left hung open. "You just... killed them..."

"Well I could have done it a lot quieter if you hadn't panicked me by yelling."

Urie frowned before returning to his position behind the door, displeased with Haise's interruption. Haise stood still, stunned at the murder he had just witnessed. Speechless. 

Immediately, other bodyguards were alert. The gunshots were perhaps not alarming to the untrained ear of a guest, after all, a firework display was due for midnight. However, to the guards, this meant intruders were close and they quickly grouped up to approach the corridor. 

"Saiko, we're running out of time," Shirazu warned. 

"I'm nearly done..." she mumbled in return, fingers shifting even faster over the keys. 

Shirazu tapped his fingers on the mouse at his computer, biting his lip. "It's nearly cleared the virus."

"Almost got it..."

"Three seconds."

"Not yet!"

Just as Saiko copied the final document, the drive shot out of the computer and shattered on the floor with a small explosion. She pasted it carefully into her desktop and finally blinked, breathing out a long sigh of relief. 

"Did you get it all..?" Urie asked, tense and constantly peeking around the corner at the guards drawing ever closer. 

"I got it," she said, smiling lazily. 

Shirazu grinned. "You're amazing Saiko! Good job."

"Not yet," she laughed, sitting up. "We've still gotta get you lot out of there. There's guards by all the doors because of the virus."

"Shit," Urie mumbled, gripping his gun with both hands. 

"Hang on, I'm pulling up a map." Saiko carefully scanned her screens. "There should be a window on your left, can you fit through it?"

"We'll try," mumbled Shirazu, looking at the small, square window doubtfully. 

She nodded and unmuted Mutsuki who was still up against the wall, keeping Tsukiyama 'occupied'. Haise wondered if he was actually enjoying it. Saiko wrinkled her nose. "Mucchan, you can stop now. Meet the others outside."

Before she could even finish her sentence Mutsuki was pulling away from him. Haise decided that he wasn't enjoying it, he was just a good actor. 

"I have to go," he said quickly, pushing Tsukiyama away from him. 

"Ah, my rose!" he cried. Haise rolled his eyes. "Why don't you come back to my mansion?"

"I have a boyfriend," Mutsuki whined, trying to prise Tsukiyama's hands from his waist. 

He gasped. "Scandalous! How could you!"

"I'm planning on dumping him." Mutsuki shrugged and smiled weakly, finally wiggling out of Tsukiyama's grip. "I'll call you, I promise!"

With that, he rushed away down the hall, through the crowd and outside to regroup with Urie and Shirazu, who was busy attempting to take the window apart so they could fit through. 

"Had your fun?" Urie teased, half hanging out the window. 

Mutsuki spat on the grass. "He tasted like perfume," he complained, pulling a face of distaste. 

Shirazu managed to force Urie through the small gap onto the grass outside, and then began to climb through himself. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Do you eat perfume?"

"Ew, no."

"Well then."

"Will you lot stop bickering and hurry up home?" Saiko said. "There's information here you guys are gonna wanna see..."

~

Once the group had gotten home, and Mutsuki had taken off 'that stupid golden shit', they huddled into Saiko's small cove like penguins. Undressed from their elegant attire, Haise was pleased to see them back to looking like scruffy teenage boys. It suited them better. 

Shirazu sat on the stool to the right of Saiko, Mutsuki on the desk on the left, and Urie and Haise stood behind them, the blue tinted glow of the screens illuminating their faces as they stared, tired eyes unfocused. 

"So..? What's the thing you needed to show us?" Urie asked, leaning against the wall. 

"This."

She pulled up a screen, displaying an image of a compact bomb with little, colourful wires stitched in and out the smooth metal surface. It reminded Haise of the bomb they had at the cafe when he first met them. 

"Is that..."

"Yep, it's the one we've been studying for a while now. We knew they had it ordered, but by the looks for it it's already arrived. But look here." She clicked onto a different screen which at first appeared to be some kind of list, but upon closer inspection was a set of instructions. 

"What is it?" Mutsuki asked. 

"It's a plan," Saiko confirmed. "I read through it. In a few days, there's going to be a major event at CCG Technologies to celebrate the leader stepping down and handing the company over to someone else."

"Furuta is stepping down?" Haise questioned. "But he's so young..."

"The ceremony isn't about him passing on the company, it's a plan to attract a mass gathering."

"Your point..?" Urie mumbled.

Saiko sighed. "Both Furuta and the new owner are members of the underground cannibalism restaurant. In fact, they may be some of the leaders of the organisation. They're going to lure people there and then use that bomb to pretend there's been some kind of freak accident so they can take the bodies."

Haise gasped, covering his mouth. "That's barbaric."

"That's business for those bastards," spat Urie. 

"I'm guessing the bomb is explosive...but I'm not sure. It could be gas or even nails. The plan is unclear..." Saiko mumbled. "I still need to sift through the rest of the information."

"Who's the new owner going to be?" Mutsuki asked, pulling one leg onto the desk and resting his head atop his knee, eyes fluttering between open and closed. 

"This guy," Saiko responded, pulling up a profile of a gaunt looking man with hollow eyes and papery skin. Mutsuki shuddered. "Saeki Karao. Thirty-two years old, unmarried, no known children. Also referred to as 'Torso' for his... unusual eating habits."

Haise gagged. 

"What can we do to stop them?" Urie questioned, stepping away from the wall. 

"I don't know yet," Saiko mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I'll finish going through the information and we can think about it tomorrow."

"But we don't have much time," Urie warned. 

Saiko gave him a defeated look in return. "Uri, it's late. We've worked hard today. I'll finish the research tonight but at least let the others rest."

A torn expression crossed Urie's face. He glanced at Shirazu, who yawned and nodded in agreement with Saiko, and then at Mutsuki, who had closed his eyes somewhere along the conversation, head rested carefully on top of his knee. 

"Alright," he mumbled. "I'll stay up and help you."

Saiko's lazy eyes lit up slightly at the invitation of help, passing him one of the keyboards. Shirazu lifted himself from his seat and stretched until it made his back snap. "Don't stay up too late you two. Goodnight."

"Night, Shira," Saiko chirped as he made his way to the bedroom.

"Come on, you," Haise said, carefully helping Mutsuki to his feet as the tired teen attempted to wake himself up. He took the youngest to the living room and settled him on the sofa where he slept; they could only fit two beds in the bedroom, and neither Urie or Shirazu could fit on the sofa. Saiko had a tendency to sleep at her desk which left Mutsuki with the sofa and Haise with the floor. 

But he didn't mind, so long as the others were comfortable. Haise carefully laid a blanket over Mutsuki ,who was fast asleep in minutes, and quietly settled on the floor, gazing up at the stained ceiling. 

It had been one hell of a hectic day. Add that to his almost empty stomach and it left Haise feeling heavy and and unsociable. Part of him wished he would wake up and this would all be some dream. 

Another part hoped he would wake up where he was so that he could protect them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note! Tsukiyama is unaware that Mutsuki is a minor. He may be a cannibal but that’s all,,,,
> 
> Also thank you for all the support so far!! The next chapter is already written so I’ll be updating soon! Feel free to ask any questions! I’m always active :)
> 
> And stay safe in quarantine everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if this counts as a TW but there is a brief discussion about domestic/ child abuse at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer!! I am lucky enough to not a victim of that sort, and my writing was based off media representations, how it is portrayed in the manga and other research I’ve done.  
> Of course I hope none of my readers experienced this (or anyone ofc!) but if my writing did not portray it accurately please tell me and I will of course edit it

It was late in the morning when Haise finally stirred. The bright sun had lifted itself above the city skyline and stretched its way through their window, blanketing Haise and half of Mutsuki's face. 

He sat up, the house silent with sleep. Making his way into the kitchen, Haise found Urie with his head on the counter and a pen in his hand. He must have fallen asleep mid-writing. Haise smiled. 

Everything seemed so serene. The chaotic night before forgotten in the glowing morning sun. Haise felt strangely complete, as if the teens had filled a gap left inside him by Rize, chewed out, clawed, and now mended. Mending. 

He pondered the evening before. Perhaps the weapons lying around the house made sense now. If they were trying to apprehend the cannibal restaurant then they'd certainly need a form of defence against those murderers. And still, Urie had slaughtered those bodyguards without a passing thought last night. Without a moment of hesitation. 

He wondered how exactly the group had learned about the restaurant and banded together to act as a fighting force. Were they working for somebody? Were they merely using their own time and resources to act as justice? If so... why?

Urie made a groaning noise and shifted, attempting to get comfortable on the rickety stool and hard-surface counter. After a few minutes of hesitant shuffling, the boy gave in and woke up, stretching his arms out ahead of him. 

"Good morning," Haise cheered. 

Poor Urie almost fell off his stool with surprise. "Holy shit! Why do you just pop up everywhere?"

Haise shrugged. "Well your house is pretty small so..."

"Shut up, the house is fine."

Haise remained silent as Urie awoke, stretching and yawning and dragging himself back into reality. He looked at the sheet before him as if only just remembering what last night was, scratching the back of his purple locks before letting his gaze drift over to the sofa where Mutsuki slept, doused in sunlight. 

"Idiot, he'll wake up," Urie grumbled, standing and covering the window with the thin curtains to dim the light pouring into the room. He then approached the Mutsuki, pushing his hair out of his face and ensuring he was tucked under the blanket safely. The sleeping boy hummed softly, warm under Urie's hands.

Haise smiled somewhat playfully. "You really do like him, don't you?"

"It's none of your business," Urie snapped back, returning to the counter.

Haise crossed his arms. "It is if you're upsetting him by arguing all the time."

"Don't act like you care."

"What is your problem?" Haise complained, frowning. He felt confrontational, especially when it came to Urie. If he wasn't careful, the boy would walk all over him, and even Haise had his boundaries. "What have I done to make you dislike me so much?"

"Nothing," Urie spat, irritation clearly growing as he gripped his pen tighter and tighter. 

"Then why are you so angry all the time?"

"I'm not angry!"

"Then what? What is it? Why are you shutting me out?"

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt!" Urie went silent very suddenly and then sighed, looking away. 

"Urie..."

He lowered his voice, and it was the first time Haise had heard Urie's voice without it's defensive sharpness. "I don't want them to get hurt anymore. They don't deserve it."

"I'm not going to hurt them," Haise reassured. 

"You will," Urie said, almost whining. "You're a nice guy. They'll make friends with you, become attached, and then you're going to leave as soon as you get the chance."

Haise hesitated and then continued. "I won't leave," he promised. "You guys... you're young. And I don't think you're bad people. I want to help. I really do."

Urie gave Haise a look – a look that told him he'd heard this before. A look that shared Urie's biggest insecurity: betrayal. 

"I have to be hard on you," he said, slow. "I have to be suspicious because what if I'm not? What if I'm not and then something terrible happens? What if I let them down? What if I let them get hurt?"

Haise bit his lip. Part of him was pleased that Urie was opening up to him, but he also felt the weight of Urie's colossal expectations – the pressure he was applying to himself, believing he had to protect everyone.

Haise rested a reassuring hand on Urie's shoulder and was surprised when the boy didn't pull away. It seemed so out of character for him. Perhaps he needed the comfort that much. 

"I'm not going anywhere, Urie," Haise said gently. "I won't let you down. I won't let them down."

"You don't know that; humans are fragile. We've seen our families die, Haise... we see people die all the time. I killed two men yesterday. You don't know when your time is up. You don't know who it will hurt."

Haise looked at the lost boy before him, weak under the weight of broken promises. Shirazu had told him that Urie's father had died, it left him to wonder if his mother had passed away too. Was he all alone? Were these guys truly all he had left?

Haise felt a familiarity in his sympathy. 

"That's why you won't let yourself get too close to Mutsuki," Haise realised. "You're afraid one of you will die, and leave the other one broken."

Urie looked away in defeat. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he had opened up so wholly to Haise. Maybe the pressure of it all had built too much, or he was sure Haise would soon leave, and his secret would leave with him. 

Maybe it's because he was the closest thing to a father Urie had felt in so long. 

Either way, he was glad Haise was there. He felt comforting, and although Urie would never admit it, he was grateful for the man's intervention into his emotions. It was a huge release. 

"You know," Haise began, "you're right." Urie lifted his head slightly. "We don't know when our last day will be, or who we will lose. So I believe we should live every day in the moment. When it comes down to it in the end, no matter how heartbreaking loss can be, it's the memories that will stay. Grief can be washed away with time and care, but the happiness that someone brought won't be forgotten."

"Yeah but it still hurts..." 

"I know saying goodbye is painful. The things you wouldn't give to spend just one more hour with them, the knowledge that you can't – it's agonising. But you still have time, Urie. You have time with Shirazu and Saiko and Mutsuki. You have time to make memories with them. To make them happy. To show them how much you care. And when the time comes for someone to pass, you get to relive all those moments of joy. You get to remember why it was all worth it."

Urie didn't know he was crying until the silver tear hit the table. He quickly wiped the streak from his cheek, erasing painful yet fond memories with it. 

He sighed and looked at Haise. Maybe he was right. Thinking back to his father's death, how he had his parent ripped away from him too early – he wished he could have cherished every moment they spent together. And now he had to do the same with his new family. 

"You can't tell anyone about this, by the way," Urie finally said, lightening the mood. "It could ruin my whole reputation."

"Ah," Haise said, smiling lightly and pulling his hand away from Urie's shoulder. "So it's about reputation is it?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course," Urie said, cracking a smile. "I can't go down with a reputation like Shirazu's – I'll be considered a clown."

Haise laughed, and was surprised when Urie joined him. Urie had a surprisingly soft laugh, one that Haise was sure very few ears would ever be blessed enough to hear. He wondered what kind of boy he was before he put up his walls. 

"Urie..?" came a voice from the sofa. Both looked over to Mutsuki who was sitting up, awoken by the laughter that had been bouncing around the room. He rubbed his eyes, clearly still half asleep. "Are you and Haise..?"

"No." Urie cleared his throat, face immediately stiff again. He rose from his stool and greeted Mutsuki with a gentle pat on the head which the teen delightedly accepted, leaning into Urie's contact. Urie allowed his hand to sweep lower and cup Mutsuki's cheek, the green-haired boy's eyes closing in comfort. Haise couldn't help but feel like he was intruding on a small moment between the two and quickly turned to the fridge to cook breakfast.

He rummaged for a moment, not that there was much to rummage through, and found some eggs he decided to use to make an omelette. 

The moment the scent had begun to waft throughout the house, Saiko emerged from her room.

"Food?"

"Breakfast," Haise confirmed.

She hummed in delight, sitting herself at the counter in preparation for the meal. 

"So you're a foodie?" Haise mused.

Saiko traced her finger across the wooden countertop, following the swirling patterns on the brown surface. "Something like that. My mum owns a bar so I always had good food growing up."

"Oh really? That's pretty cool."

"I guess," she mumbled. 

Haise avoided glancing at the girl. "How comes you moved out?"

"Mmm," her finger stopped, "me and my mum disagreed on a few things..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Haise bit his lip, guilty for stirring bad memories. He tossed the omelette around the pan, mind elsewhere. 

"How did you learn to hack?" he asked, hoping to lift her mood."

Saiko's eyes immediately lit with excitement. "Games," she said with a grin. "I love games, so I learned how to make my own. Then I started to hack to get extra content on my favourite games for free. Ahh, Maman, do you play games? Have you ever played 'My Vampire Husband'? I reached level 128 and we had kids and–"

"Woah woah, slow down," Haise urged, barely able to keep up with the girl's excitement. "You're self taught?"

"In the art of vampire love?"

Haise tipped the omelettes onto their plates. "In the art of hacking," he corrected. 

"Yeah," she hummed, grabbing the dish and filling her mouth with egg. "It wasn't that hard."

Clever girl. 

Haise called the others to the table to eat. Mutsuki appeared first, babbling to Saiko about a recent chapter of some manga they were deeply involved in– Urie in stony silence after. It wasn't long before Shirazu joined, bed hair sticking in wild directions as he sleepily ate the meal. 

Haise smiled, pleased to see everyone filling their stomachs. He felt achieved in a strange way. 

"Oh, Kaneki," Shirazu said, lifting his head. Haise felt a small pang at being called his previous name, but it didn't seem that Shirazu had done it on purpose, so he allowed it to slide. "You're coming with me after breakfast."

"Okay," he said, smiling. "Where are we going?"

Shirazu smiled sheepishly. "We gotta go feed your dog."

Haise's smile instantly dropped. "He hasn't been fed yet? Oh I hope he's okay? Two whole days... and I only filled his bowl to the top! What if he gets taken away for neglect."

"I don't think two days counts as neglect," Mutsuki reassured. "Especially since you weren't exactly planning on leaving him."

"Still," Haise pouted, worried sick about his poor dog. Hide was his one and only companion who had stuck with him through his late childhood, teens, and now his adult life. If anything happened to that dog— Haise couldn't bear to think about it. 

Shirazu shovelled the rest of his omelette into his mouth, grabbing his jacket and turning to Haise. "C'mon then. He'll be excited to see you."

Haise nodded, quickly following Shirazu to the door. He turned to the others. "Urie is in charge while I'm gone."

Saiko's jaw dropped in disappointment. "No fair! Urie is–"

Shirazu closed the door before she could protest further, chuckling as her remarks continued behind the door. 

Haise led the way back to his house. Shirazu kept them on the back streets which Haise found odd. Shirazu struck him as a gregarious kind of person; he was always bright and eager to chat with the others. It made Haise wonder more about the mysterious group of teens. 

"Hey Shirazu..." he started, "how comes you guys put your lives on the line to get information about the cannibal restaurant?"

"Wouldn't you if you knew about all the terrible things they were doing?" Haise bit his lip. He'd known about it for a long time, but always felt as if it were one of those 'I alone can't change this' kind of things. 

"Well, I just wondered if it's really worth risking your lives for? Why don't you let the police handle it?"

"Police can't be trusted." Haise stole a glance at the taller boy whose gaze remained ahead. "Besides, we have personal ties to the place."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Urie's dad was killed and... eaten by them." Haise swallowed. "Also, Saiko's mum owned a bar. She found out that her mother had been poisoning drinks and sending the bodies to the organisation."

Haise covered his mouth in shock, yet to be numbed to the horrific web of the cannibals. "Why would she do such a thing?"

Shirazu gave him a glance. "Money. They pay real good to supply bodies, and Saiko's mum was, well... lazy. The more bodies she could supply, the less time she'd need to spend working and the more time she could lay around and bask in her wealth."

"How terrible..."

Shirazu nodded in agreement. "So of course, that's why Saiko left. When Urie mentioned what had happened to his father, that's when Saiko decided we should group up and take them down."

"She must be really smart if she can put together an organisation just like that," Haise commented. 

Shirazu chuckled. "I wouldn't call us an organisation, but there's no doubt that Saiko is a genius. She might act like a hermit, but she's hiding a lot under that bushy, blue hair."

"I can tell." Haise smiled. 

They turned down into a gloomy street. The walls were a bluish-grey, decorated with dull, beige posters, which added to the melancholy atmosphere of the street, making Haise take a step closer to Shirazu. Puddles littered the cobble floor, and somewhere in the distance a dog howled as if it was midnight. 

Haise began to realise just how much character Tokyo had. It wasn't just the people, it was it's open, hearty daytime squares and bustling city life. It was the narrow back alleys who shadowed secrets and dealt dark magic beneath flickering street lamps. 

It was this haunting street that seemed so barren compared to the city Haise was used to. 

The emptiness was emphasised when Haise noticed that the sheets of beige pinned to the walls were actually posters– posters of missing people. He stepped away from the safety of Shirazu to observe the worn and faded pleas of families to find something that was never found. 

So many lost faces stared back at him. Perhaps some of them had been found since the posters had been put up, perhaps some hadn't. Either way, it tugged at Haise's heartstrings to see so many people victims to the vastness of the world. 

"Hey Haise, this you?" 

Haise turned to Shirazu who had pointed out a missing person poster on the wall. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, it was an image of himself perhaps two or three years younger, smiling at the camera like the world wasn't a filthy place. 

"Yeah, that's me." He sighed lightly, recalling simpler times when his biggest worry was whether he got an A or a B on an exam. Such troubles seemed trivial now. His innocence was torn. 

"Aww, you were so cute-looking," Shirazu joked, pulling the poster from the wall to hold it closer. "So your hair is naturally black... why did you bleach it? No offence, but the grown out roots ain't gonna become a trend anytime soon."

Haise laughed and snatched the sheet from Shirazu's hand, tossing it to the wind. "Sorry I'm no trend-setter," he sassed. "It's a long story. It's not bleached, it's natural."

"No way! You have to tell this story sometime."

Haise chuckled in response, but his smile quickly turned to a frown when another old, tattered poster caught his attention. 

It had the same format as the others: the all-caps 'MISSING' printed in black at the top, the faded photograph situated above a lengthy description, and a reward for tips at the bottom. But unlike the others, the words 'criminal', 'fugitive' and worst of all 'murderer' glowed a bold red against the black lettering – Mutsuki's face staring back at Haise in the centre of it all.

"Shirazu... what's this?" He could barely tear his gaze from the paper, disbelief written all across his face as Shirazu took notice of what he was observing. 

"Ahh! That's nothing! Just ignore it!" Shirazu was quick to rip the paper off the wall, shred it between his palms and scatter it across the street like it never existed. 

"Shirazu!" Haise complained. His shock was barely contained as he grabbed at the pieces, attempting to place them back together as if it would fix the confusion swirling across his mind. "What is this!? Why are you hiding it!?"

He scanned the torn pieces between his fingers, catching only snippets of information between the crumpled pages. 'Father, mother and son found dead', '12-year old daughter only one to survive', 'denies all charges of murder'. 

Mutsuki was... a murderer?

"It's–" Shirazu hesitated, contemplating between the satisfying lie or the bitter, cold truth. 

Haise looked down at the pieces in his palms. There was no doubt about it. The photo was Toru, albeit a more youthful depiction, and the family name 'Mutsuki' was repeated a dozen times. 

But how, Haise could not understand. He could not see how Mutsuki, someone so normal and seemingly good, was hiding such a dark secret. 

Haise had seen Urie kill... for the greater good. And although he was still uneasy on whether he agreed with it or not, he could at least understand the motivation behind it. He saw a positive outcome from the tragic fate of bad people. 

But this...

"Is it true..?"

Shirazu gave him a torn look, already answering the question without intending to. 

"Please, tell me the truth. I want to understand."

Shirazu let out a sigh, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them to give Haise an almost stern look. "It's really not my place to say..."

Haise understood. Everyone had secrets, and everyone had their own version of the story to tell. But Haise felt, as a somewhat established member of the household, "I have the right to know."

Shirazu pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, it's really can't say. Hell, Mutsuki hardly tells us anything about it in the first place. I don't know exactly why he did it, but I have a pretty good guess."

"Which is..?" Haise watched Shirazu with calculated eyes. 

Shirazu scratched the back of his head, hair ruffling beneath his fingers. "Well, when we first took him in, he was really nervous and stuff all the time. He didn't really talk, he was real scared of loud noises or running water." He sighed. "I dunno. Just didn't seem like the kind of kid who had done something like that out of cold blood, y'know? Good people can do bad things if they're pushed hard enough."

"So you're saying he was... forced?" Haise questioned, not quite feeling as though he was catching on. Shirazu began to walk again, and Haise swiftly followed beside him, the poster still clutched in his hands 

He shook his head. "Not exactly." He paused before rephrasing. "When he first started living with us, we found out pretty quickly that he's not... the smartest kid. I don't wanna be mean but he could hardly read, couldn't write at all. I don't think he had a very good education. Maybe he didn't go to school much. 

"What I mean is, I don't think he saw another way out of his... situation. He probably didn't know that there are services you can call that could help kids like him."

"Oh..." was all Haise could manage for a moment, realisation beginning to dawn on him. 

Even though Shirazu was tiptoeing around the words themselves, Haise understood now. 

"Was he hurt?"

"Covered in bruises."

Sasaki knew a thing or two about abusive households. Or perhaps he should say that Kaneki knew a thing or two about abusive households. Either way, he knew it was nothing short of hell. 

These things were quiet; tucked away in closets and hidden underneath long sleeves. 

There is nothing quite comparable to that bubble of fear between the four walls of a bedroom. Windows can suddenly feel like iron bars when you realise there's no escape. Eighteen years old becomes a wish rather than a guarantee and Haise recalled spending hours and hours with his books, shaving time away one hour at a time. 

And how different the world is when you're finally released. They tell you it's cold and cruel out there, that people will hate you and use you and that you should just stay forever, you won't leave me, will you? And now it's clear as day that the person you should have been hiding from all along was them. 

"Look," Shirazu began, snapping Haise from his train of thought. "I'm not saying that what Toru did was right, or justified, or anything like that. But he's a good kid, Haise, you can tell he is. If he deserves a sentence for murder then I'm sure he served it before he had even committed the crime. He's not going to hurt anyone. He wouldn't have done something like that unless it was for a damn good reason."

"I know," Haise agreed.

His words seemed to catch the ginger off guard, as if he had a whole monologue ready to defend Mutsuki. "You do?"

"Yeah. I understand how he..." Haise sighed. "Nevermind."

Shirazu cast a glance at Haise, a moment of understanding flashing before his eyes. He reached his hand up, ruffling Haise's unkempt hair as though they had been friends forever. It almost felt that way. 

"Hey look, you're both with us now. We'll keep you safe. That's what we do." Shirazu gave Haise a sharp grin and Haise's lips slowly tugged themselves to a smile. 

Haise had always felt like an outsider in this world. Something had always isolated him from other's lives, whether it be through death, resentment, fear... 

But here, with them, he finally felt at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some insight on the quinx backgrounds uwu  
> For their backstories I’ll be sticking to what is canon is the manga, only twisting it to fit the context of this AU. Their backstories were hUgELy neglected in the anime, which is why I briefly go over what happened, but will not be going into detail (especially since their backstories are all so depressing TwT)
> 
> Also!!! Thankyou so much for reading!! I appreciate every read, kudos and comment :)  
> Next chapter on its way soon!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this about a week ago but I didn’t want to post it due to the black lives matter movement happening at the moment. I believe social media should be dedicated to spreading awareness on the topic.  
> However, I would also like to provide the opportunity, however small, for people to escape from our dystopian world at the moment (regarding the pandemic).  
> I also feel that, even though my story is small, I can still share here and spread awareness.  
> https://blmsites.carrd.co/  
> This site links different ways to help the cause. To those who read this in the future, I hope things have changed for the better.
> 
> Also! Happy pride month of course :)
> 
> I added some extra mutsurie in there as my own way of supporting and accepting the lgbtq+ community :)

"Hide!!"

Haise held his arms out and open, inviting the little blond dog to come crashing towards him – which he did. 

The animal was overcome with excitement at the final return of his owner, tail flicking side to side, tongue out and mouth wide. He barked in excitement, jumping up at Haise who carefully picked him up and pulled him close. 

"I'm sorry I disappeared, buddy," Haise apologised. "But I made some new friends."

Shirazu watched the two curiously. Having never owned a pet, it was quite curious to watch two entirely different creatures bond. Haise's little companion was nothing but a bundle of joy, so Shirazu quickly understood the appeal. 

Haise brought Hide to Shirazu, allowing the ginger to pet the dog, bringing a smile to his face. It was a little too much when Haise decided to place Hide into his arms completely, and suddenly Shirazu felt great responsibility for the happy pooch who began to lick his face. 

While kept busy, Haise refilled Hide's bowl and ensured he had enough water to last a week. Shirazu set him down and the dog quickly ran over to enjoy his meal. Haise sighed, glad Hide was okay. 

"So this is your house," Shirazu commented, looking around the quaint apartment. 

"Yeah," Haise said with a sheepish smile. "It's not much, but it's home."

"It's more than what we've got."

That was true. Haise's apartment was larger and better kept that the group's family home. Not only that, but Haise and Hide were the only ones here, rather than a family of five. 

Of course, moving them all there was out of the question for now, considering just how long it would take to move and reinstall all of Saiko's technology. 

"I probably have some food we can bring back if you'd like? I'm sure the others will appreciate it," Haise offered. 

"Sounds great!" Shirazu approached the older man, helping him pack a few items of food so they could carry it back with ease. "Thanks, Haise."

He smiled. "Anytime."

"You know, I really thought it would be a huge burden to have you around," Shirazu confessed. "I was worried there wouldn't be enough food for the others, or you'd try to run or hurt someone. But... you've been real great to us. You're kinda like part of the family now."

Haise laughed but appreciated the sentiment. It was pleasing to know he had changed someone's impression of him. 

"You know..." Shirazu continued, "if you want, you don't have to come back. I'm sorry for kidnapping you and all... I was scared you'd report us to the police for that bomb. But we're only using it because we want to know how to take it apart, what with that huge attack coming up and everything. Anyway, you don't have to feel like a prisoner anymore is what I'm trying to say. You're free to go."

"Oh..."

Haise felt a sudden, unsolicited sinking feeling in his chest, like heavy weights slowly falling through water. The past few days seemed to flash before his eyes briefly. Spending the time with the group had really opened his eyes to new experiences: those who didn't have the same luxuries as he, those who fought for a good cause, those who scrambled together on threads of friendship and trauma and were somehow making it through each day with more strength than anyone else he had ever known. 

Sure, it had only been a few days, less than a week even, but he had seen and learned so much. He considered them allies. Friends. Family even. They were people who had opened up to him, shared their deepest fears and enthralling secret lives behind screens of code and mayhem. 

And now it was over. 

"You good?" Shirazu finally asked. "You haven't said anything for like two minutes."

Haise shook his head as if waking from a dream. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. I just..." He didn't want it to be over. He didn't want this to be the final chapter of the story. Not yet. Not knowing so much and yet not enough about them. Living so close but yet so out of reach of their safety, their wants and needs. He had felt an uncertainty before, but now he was sure. "I want to stay."

Shirazu sighed, face relaxing into a smile. 

"I was kinda hoping you'd say that."

~

"Haise's home!" Saiko cheered, jumping up from her seat as they entered the front door. 

"I'm home too," Shirazu grumbled. 

"Yes, but you don't have bags of food in your hand," she said, already rummaging through the carrier bag Haise held. He allowed the girl to take it with a smile, glad to be home. 

Shirazu closed the door behind them, shrugging his jacket off his shoulders and sinking into their sofa with a content sigh. It was a long walk to Haise's house and back, especially on an almost empty stomach, so the comfort of the cushions seemed like bliss. 

Saiko began to pack the food away into the fridge and cupboards, putting care into something for once. "Hey, Maman." She licked her finger and stuck it into the bag of sugar Haise had brought from his house, sucking the sweetness off it. "Mucchan made you something."

"Oh?" Haise questioned, turning to the surprised looking teen.

He immediately blushed. "Saiko!" he whined, as if he made the gift just to keep it a secret forever. He quickly averted his gaze, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "I didn't make it really... Saiko did the writing, and Urie drew the pictures..."

"Yeah but you thought of the idea," Urie pointed out. "We just followed your instructions."

"What is it?" Haise wondered, curious.

Tentatively, Mutsuki approached Haise, concealing something behind his back. "Well... you said you liked reading, and you didn't seem to like Saiko's manga very much. So... we thought it would be nice to make you a book." He revealed a small, home-made book, the pages stuck together with staples, each page cut to almost matching sizes. The front revealed the title of the book, as well as a talented drawing apparently done by Urie. "Sorry it's not much compared to the stuff you normally read..."

Haise took it into his hands with care. Maybe it was home-made and rough around the edges, but it was a beautiful sentiment. The idea that they had thought of something just to make Haise happy, and go to all the effort to make it– it warmed his heart. He felt almost guilty knowing that while he was out with Shirazu, judging Mutsuki for his past, he had been here at home, working hard to put something together that might put a smile on Haise's face. And it did. 

"You guys... that's so kind of you. I love it." He held the small book to his chest, already feeling a simmering excitement to read what they had come up with. 

Saiko and Mutsuki's faces lit up, proud that their hard worked seemed appreciated, and even Urie gave a small nod of accomplishment. 

In that moment, Haise felt so sure of his decision to stay. Sure, he was leaving a simple life behind, but he didn't want that simple life anymore. Being here with them, he fit like a piece of the puzzle. 

To Mutsuki and Urie he was like a father. For the youngest, he provided a comforting relationship that was caring and attentive but not lustful. Something Mutsuki could look up to and learn from as he grew into adulthood. For Urie, Haise fulfilled a role he craved. Someone he could lean on and seek advice from. Someone he could make proud. 

To Saiko, he was like a big brother. Haise never grew tired of her cheesy jokes or lazy energy. He could tie her hair up and clean her ears and what more could someone ask for in a sibling?

To Shirazu, he was a best friend. Someone who helped take care of the family, keep them fed and looked after. He comforted Shirazu, knowing that if he wasn't there, someone else would be. Someone he could trust to help when he couldn't do things alone. 

And so the family felt complete. What could go wrong?

Many things apparently. 

It had been a week since Haise had officially moved in, leaving only to feed Hide or pay bills. In between cooking and sleeping, Haise had already had to deal with three more fights between Urie and Mutsuki, Shirazu's complete meltdown after accidentally cutting a wrong wire and effectively breaking the mechanics of his best gun, and Saiko blowing up the kitchen after attempting to fry some eggs. 

"Next time, don't leave gunpowder beside the stove," Haise sighed, cleaning up the last pieces of ash from the small explosion. It had left a small black stain on the ceiling, and Saiko had to lose a few inches of singed hair, but luckily the damage wasn't severe enough to hurt anyone or break any appliances. 

"Sorry, Maman," Saiko pouted. "I just wanted to cook everyone some breakfast..."

He instantly caved, giving her a sympathetic smile and patting her head. "And it's lovely that you tried. Don't worry, no harm done. The best way to learn is from mistakes."

She grinned lazily. "So Maman will cook breakfast for Saiko?"

Haise rolled his eyes but happily prepared breakfast for the group, listening to the other three quarrel over something insignificant. 

What was it this time? Something about the shower? Haise had forgotten how rowdy young adults could be as soon as he left university and honestly? He didn't miss it. 

"I've told you a thousand times to close the lid of the body wash," Mutsuki argued. 

Urie sighed, putting his fist on the table. "I'm sorry that the bottle isn't my top priority when I shower."

"It should be," Mutsuki huffed. "It dries out if you leave it open and it will get germs in it."

"It really doesn't matter guys," Shirazu sighed. "It's fine."

"It's dirty..."

"You're immature," Urie mumbled, to which Mutsuki's brows instantly rose in protest. Haise bit his lip, ready for things to blow up again. 

It always happened this way. It started with a small comment that perhaps they disagreed on, and then got twisted into an attack on someone's character before exploding into a yelling contest. 

"Oh! So you're gonna make it personal now?" Mutsuki argued, voice rising. 

Shirazu's mouth closed in distaste at the sudden turn of the conversation. Urie leant back in his chair. "It's not personal, it's a fact. You act like a child."

"You act like an asshole," Mutsuki snapped back. 

Saiko pressed her face against Haise with a groan. "Here they go again..."

"You act like some kind of king when you're actually just a jerk! Just because you're insecure doesn't mean you can treat the rest of us like shit!"

"Fuck you!" Urie yelled, finally snapping and rising from his seat quickly. 

Mutsuki gave him a dark scowl in return. "Fuck you, too!"

"Guys," Haise interjected, carefully placing everyone's plates down and positioning himself between them. "Let's all calm down, shall we? Here, I made breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," Mutsuki mumbled, getting up and escaping to the living room where he slumped onto the sofa, turning his head the other way. Haise sighed. 

Urie sat back down at the table and stabbed at his food but ate without protest. The other two remained silent, clearly feeling awkward under the tension in the room.

Haise chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood. "You two are like an old married couple." Shirazu shot him a look. 

Definitely not the right thing to say. 

"Ha," Urie spat. "You think I'd ever marry someone so childish?"

"I'm not childish!" Mutsuki whined. 

Haise's eyes darted back and forth between the two. They were at eachother's throats like dogs, out for the kill. 

Saiko slurped her noodles as quietly as possible. 

"You're right, you're not childish," Urie started. "You're just annoying."

"Shut up!" Mutsuki yelled. "I don't care about your dumb opinion!"

"Because you can't take criticism?"

"Shut up!"

"Because you're whiny and stubborn and annoying!"

"I said _shut up!_ " Mutsuki shouted, but his voice broke halfway through and Urie's mouth instantly closed in regret. The teen stood from the sofa, covering his face and rushing to the bathroom.

"Toru," Urie tried, voice already softened. 

"Leave me alone!" Mutsuki cried, slamming the bathroom door behind him and leaving the rest in silence. 

Urie quickly felt a sharp slap to the back of his head, delivered by the heavy-handed Shirazu. "What'd you have to say all that for?" he scolded.

"He was getting on my nerves," Urie mumbled, aware that it was a poor excuse for his insults. 

"Now Mucchan is crying," Saiko pouted. There was a small pause. "Do you think he's gonna eat his noodles?"

"We'll save them for later," Haise quickly assured, saving Mutsuki's noodles from Saiko's hungry gaze. 

Shirazu sighed, finishing his food. "You two have got to stop with this arguing all the time," he scolded. "It makes both of you upset and everyone else uncomfortable."

"Oh yeah," Urie snapped back, "because I really decided, 'hey, I'm gonna argue with Mutsuki' this morning."

"Shut up. You know what I mean." Shirazu flicked Urie in the centre of his forehead and Urie's hands flew up to cover his face. "You're a hypocrite for calling Toru immature."

Urie gave him a slight pout in response, a behaviour clearly picked up from his green-haired friend. 

Haise picked up the dishes and began to wash them in the sink while the others went back to their day. Saiko disappeared into her room of screens, the satisfying clicking of keyboard keys rattling around the room, and Shirazu settled on the floor with Urie, producing a map and began marking up areas with him. 

Haise cleaned the table and then looked towards the bathroom door, still sealed shut. He walked down the corridor and kneeled beside the door quietly, gently knocking on the wood. "Mutsuki?"

There was no response. 

"Mutsuki, can I come in?"

Again, he was met with nothing but silence. He sighed, waiting for a minute, maybe two, before deciding that Mutsuki wasn't going to open the door and standing up. Just as he was about to walk away, he was surprised when the door cracked open just a little, inviting him in. 

He carefully pushed it open and closed it behind himself, quiet. Mutsuki was sitting on the toilet with the cover down, head in his hands, eyes red and puffy. 

"Hey," Haise reassured, voice soft. He rested a hand carefully on Mutsuki's back, giving it a comforting rub. "It's okay. Urie didn't mean the things he said, just the way you didn't mean the things you said."

Mutsuki sniffled and gave a small nod. "I-I know."

"Then what's up..?" Haise asked. He crouched beside Mutsuki, making sure the boy had enough space to not feel overwhelmed, but enough contact to feel heard. 

There was quite a pause before Mutsuki said anything. He picked at a rip in his jeans, hands deftly smoothing down the frays of torn fabric. "Do you think I'm childish?"

Haise was careful to word his answer, certain that Mutsuki was the type of person who took these things to heart. "Not more than what is normal for your age. You're still growing, after all."

"Then I should be able to help out on missions, right?" he asked, green gaze turning towards Haise. 

"What do you mean? You already do help out on missions."

Mutsuki tilted his head back and sighed, looking at the ceiling. "No, I mean help out for real. Not just keeping someone distracted while the others get to do all the important stuff."

Haise shifted and sat down. "Well, I don't think they could do it without you. You're a big help too."

Mutsuki pulled the fabric on his jeans a little too hard, snapping a piece of string that stitched itself across a rip. He looked down at it, now sat uselessly in his hand. He hesitated, like there was something else he wanted to say, something on the tip of his tongue, but the words were swallowed back down. They sat in his chest like a bomb, bottled away until they were important. 

"You think?"

"Yeah, of course. I think the others appreciate your help a lot."

Mutsuki gave a light, plastic smile and then stood up. "Okay, you're probably right."

"Saiko! Mutsuki!" came Shirazu's voice from the living room. "Come here! We're gonna go over the plan for tomorrow!"

Haise followed Mutsuki out from the bathroom and watched the group congregate on the living room floor, a huge map spread out between them. Saiko brought a laptop, setting it alongside a fizzy drink. Mutsuki dropped beside Urie and leant against him, who gave a comforting hair ruffle in response. 

Haise sat on the arm of the sofa, aware that he wouldn't be part of their mission yet still intrigued to find out what exactly they had planned. 

Shirazu presented a pen and began circling specific rooms on the map. "We'll infiltrate as employees. The main gathering will begin at 7pm and is set to continue until around 11pm. It's safe to say they'll likely set off the bomb between 9 and 10 to make sure the maximum amount of people are there. This means we have around two hours to find the bomb and deactivate it."

Saiko pitched in next, presenting the fake bomb Haise had first seen the group with. "It's hard to deactivate, but as long as we remember the steps, we should be able to get it done in around 15 minutes. It's faster with two people."

"Urie and I will focus on the bomb. We can handle the body guards too. Our other obstacles are Furuta and Saeki," Shirazu confirmed. "We'll need a way to keep them distracted."

Four pairs of eyes turned towards Mutsuki, whose mouth opened before his face creased into distaste. "Really? That Torso guy is so creepy though," he whined. "What if he eats me?"

Shirazu chuckled. "He's not gonna eat you, Toru."

Mutsuki persisted. "Besides, how am I supposed to keep two people distracted?"

Urie put a comforting arm around the distressed boy. "As long as one of them is distracted, they can't proceed with the ceremony."

"I guess..."

"It's okay, Mucchan," Saiko smiled. "I've always got my eyes on you guys, so if there's any danger, I'll get you right out of there."

That seemed to alleviate Mutsuki's stress enough for him to agree. They began to work out the specific timings of the plan, when and where they would be at all times, how much access Saiko would have to the building's systems and such. Shirazu insisted on Urie and Mutsuki memorising the security camera placement, and in what seemed like no time at all, midnight had slipped by as silently as the wind. 

The dim light of a single, warm lamp cast soft shadows on their faces. After drilling the plan into their heads, Shirazu eventually loosened up, escaping to the fridge briefly to grab a can of some alcoholic beverage. He sat on the floor by the others, leaning back against the wall with a sigh. 

Saiko rolled onto her front, legs kicking behind her and she tapped at the keyboard on her laptop. Haise supposed she was working on something for the mission, yet wasn't surprised when the theme song of an anime began to hum gently from the device. Saiko sang along quietly, apparently enthusiastic about the sickly-sweet music. Eventually, the music died down and she became immersed in the episode, silent for once. 

Urie and Mutsuki had managed to claim the sofa, Urie on his back and Mutsuki settled comfortably on top. His eyes were closed, but Haise assumed he was awake as Urie's lips were still moving with conversation, silent under the sing-song anime voices. Mutsuki gave little nods and smiles here and there, the two even shared an amused smile, laughing at something Urie had said. 

Haise never seen Urie smile as much as he did when around Mutsuki. Despite their constant arguing, there was something sweet and domestic there. It was quiet, not making itself known to others unless they searched for it, but there nonetheless. 

Haise enjoyed being with the group like this. It was these quiet, normal moments that he seemed to remember the most. With so much drama and stress constantly bounding from the walls of this apartment, Haise sometimes forgot that these were people who could have led normal lives.

Haise stood from his stool and sat against the wall with Shirazu, who also seemed lost in thought as he watched the others doing their simple things. 

He turned to glance at Haise, smiling when he sat close. "Hey, what's up?"

Haise shrugged. "Nothing. Just thought I'd keep you company."

Shirazu laughed. He was always laughing. He was a nice boy. "You know, I was chatting with Saiko earlier. She supposes I should call you by nickname."

"Oh really?" Haise asked, raising an eyebrow in inquiry. "What name did she suggest?"

"Sassan," Shirazu said, cracking another smile. "Who knows, maybe it'll stick."

Haise smiled, resting his head back against the wall. "Maybe."

Shirazu offered his drink. Haise, although hesitating, accepted, drinking a mouthful of beer. It fizzed in his throat, the pungent smell immediately staining his breath as he handed the can back to Shirazu, who was of course finding his superior's reaction hilarious. 

Haise smiled sheepishly, attempting to swallow the taste from his tongue and still act cool about it. "Gross. Why do you waste your money on that stuff?"

Shirazu shrugged, gulping it like it like it was no problem. He crushed the can in his hand and gave Haise a slap on the back which he probably didn't mean to be so painful. "I'm going to bed. Make sure the others don't stay up all night."

Haise wondered how exactly he had become mum to the group as he watched Shirazu disappear into his room. 

Already feeling his absence, Haise rolled onto his front beside Saiko and joined her in watching... well, whatever it was. Upon noticing Haise she gasped in delight. "You came to watch my show with me?"

"Mhm," he hummed, smiling.

She sucked in a breath. "Oh my gosh this is so exciting! Okay so basically this is the main character, isn't she cute? And she's in a reverse harem with this guy, he's the cool one, and this guy, he's the childhood friend." Haise strained his ears, trying to keep up. "And basically she gets sucked into this magical world and it's kind of in ruins so she has to sing her way to the throne and marry the king! But then she can't marry the king and aaah it's really so romantic I don't know why it's labelled as fantasy when–"

"Saiko, Saiko," Haise eased. "Slow down, I have no idea what's happening."

"Ahh, you're right," she whined. Saiko placed her elbows on the floor, arching her back and propping her chin on her hands laced together. She gave Haise a side look and snuck him a wink. "Why watch a romance anime when we have a real life one playing right in front of us?"

"Huh..?"

"Look at those two!" she exclaimed excitedly, gesturing to Urie and Mutsuki who were so caught up in their banter that they hadn't even noticed Saiko and Haise watching them. "Aren't they the cutest? I ship them! If they were in an anime it would be a romance for sure, right? Right? What should their ship name be? Urimutsu? Tuki? Mutsurie? So many possibilities!"

Haise laughed, watching her fawn over the couple. "I'm glad you're supportive."

"How could I be anything else? They're perfect for each other," she gushed, cupping her face in an anime-ish fashion. Haise supposed she was still in that state between anime and reality. "Urie is the cold, quiet but protective one. And Mucchan is the cuddly, emotional one. Their tropes match perfectly! Mucchan is the uke to Uri's seme."

"Saiko, I'm sorry, but I really don't understand your anime lingo."

"Maman, you sound like a mum."

Haise sighed but accepted the fact that he did, in fact, sound like an out-of-touch parent. Despite that, he agreed that Urie and Mutsuki were pretty cute together, not that he'd ever tell Urie that of course. 

It made Haise's heart ache. Of course he was happy for them, but he couldn't help but be reminded of his own relationship, if it could even be called that. Thinking back on his time with Rize, they were never like that. 

Sure, they held hands. They went on dates and kissed and watched the stars at night. They did everything a textbook relationship would describe... but not like this. Haise, no, Kaneki never had this kind of love. He was never looked at the way Mutsuki looked at Urie; like his whole universe was right in front of him. He never had someone whisper things in his ear that made Urie smile that way, or hands run through his hair so gently that he could perhaps look as content as Mutsuki did. 

Kaneki was not loved by Rize. 

Kaneki was not loved by anyone.

Haise felt bile creeping up his throat at the thought. He could see himself walking into their room, how she was hunched over like an animal, the body on the floor, blood spreading rapidly. It oozed from the gashes in their skin, dark with death. The blood in her hair. The blood on her teeth. The blood on his lips.

Haise covered his mouth abruptly, springing up from where he lay beside Saiko and rushing into the bathroom. He crashed into the door, stumbling to his knees just in time to empty his stomach into the toilet, releasing every bad memory with it. 

Saiko, Urie and Mutsuki exchanged alarmed looks, before Saiko timidly stood and followed Haise into the bathroom. 

He sighed as the wave of nausea and regret finally ceased, flushing the toilet. Saiko approached him from behind, resting a gentle hand on his back. "Maman, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he reassured, attempting a small smile. He looked at her as she pushed his hair out of his face, worry written all over her face. 

"You should have told me you were feeling unwell," she pouted. Who's acting like the parent now? "I would have put you to bed so you could rest."

Haise, now distracted from thoughts of his ex, was able to give Saiko a more reinforced smile. "Really, I'm okay. Must have just eaten something dodgy."

He noticed Mutsuki and Urie stood just outside the bathroom peering in, clearly anxious with concern but unwilling to crowd Haise. He extended his smile to them, Urie's face hardly changing from its mildly concerned frown to its natural frown, and Mutsuki heaving a sigh that sounded heavy on his throat.

"Let's get you to bed," Saiko said tenderly, helping Haise from where he sat. 

"Wanna sleep in my bed?" Urie offered, gesturing that he could sleep on the floor.

"No no," Haise denied. "I'm fine, really."

"I insist."

Saiko took Haise to the bedroom where Shirazu was already snoring peacefully from his blankets. Urie kicked a few items under his bed so that Saiko could safely lay Haise down. He felt rather flustered to be the centre of all this attention, and yet appreciated how each of them displayed genuine concern for him. 

Urie was the first to leave, disappearing into the livingroom to sleep. Saiko followed a while after, giving Haise a fond pat on the head before yawning and saying goodnight. Mutsuki stayed beside Haise's bed stubbornly, insisting he would wait with him until he fell asleep.

"I'm really fine," Haise reassured, hoping the youngest would go to bed soon.

"I know." Mutsuki stayed perched beside his bed anyway, tracing small circles on the bedsheets with his fingertip. He pressed his finger down into the bedding and watched it spring back up before placing his hands on his lap, fists clenching his clothes. "I understand how you feel. You've seen death, right?"

Haise's eyes sprang open. "How did you...?"

"I get sick sometimes too." Mutsuki held Haise's gaze briefly, a moment of understanding passing between the two. He then quickly tilted his head downwards, suddenly focusing on the rips in his jeans, tugging at the strings there. "So does Shirazu."

"Shirazu?" Haise drew his gaze away from Mutsuki to look across the room at the ginger heap in the bed beside his own.

"Mmh," Mutsuki confirmed. "Didn't you know? His father committed suicide. Shirazu found him hang–"

"Ahh! Please don't finish that sentence," Haise groaned.

Mutsuki pulled at his jeans harder, another piece of fabric snapping between his fingers. "Sorry. It wasn't my place to say that."

Haise let out a sigh. "Don't worry about it. You should go get some rest, okay?"

Mutsuki shook his head. He adjusted how he was sitting so he could lean back against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest with his arms hugging them close. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep much anyway."

"Are you nervous about the mission tomorrow?" Haise inquired, feeling his eyes close with fatigue.

"A little. I hate creepy old men, and that torso guy? Ugh," he said, shuddering lightly. "He is definitely a creepy old man."

"Just like Urie," Haise joked.

Mutsuki hummed a small laugh too. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Haise gave a small nod, but before he could say anything else, he felt his consciousness slip away into sleep, breathing out a light sigh as he tilted his head into the pillow.

Mutsuki stood, carefully tucking him under the blankets before heading off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for all the comments, kudos and reads :)   
> This was a long one, but it’s the calm before the storm so be prepared!!
> 
> Again, happy pride month!  
> Stay safe out there guys!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things start to get complicated B)

Haise awoke to the sounds of birds twittering outside the bedroom window. A warm glow filled the room, the morning sun shining brightly against a clear blue sky and casting a thick, golden box on the floor through the shape of the window.

Shirazu was changing into a new shirt on the other side of the room. His hair was a deep, autumn orange with moisture, the fresh scent of damp skin floating about the room.

"Morning," Haise said, noticing his deep morning voice.

Shirazu turned his head and offered a light smile. "Good morning. It's a beautiful day today."

Haise nodded in agreement, rising from Urie's bed to gaze out the window. From their high-up apartment, the city skyline was clear in the horizon, darkened with the shadows of the sun. The distant humming of cars was clear even through the window panes. Tokyo was never silent. 

"Today is the day," he commented.

Shirazu waved a hand at him dismissively. "We'll stop that bomb, don't worry. We won't let those people die."

Haise followed Shirazu into the kitchen area. It appeared that Saiko was yet to emerge from her room, judging by how clean the kitchen was. If she had been up already, signs of a fridge raid would certainly be evident. 

Haise got to work on breakfast, glancing over the counter at the sofa where Urie and Mutsuki had somehow managed to fit together and were sleeping well into the morning. Urie was tilted slightly, bear hugging Mutsuki who appeared just centimetres away from hanging off the edge of the sofa. Toru's face was nestled somewhere between Urie's neck and chest, a mess of green, mossy hair laying in every direction and a leg lazily tossed over Urie's waist.

Haise turned back to the stove, preparing omelettes for everyone. Shirazu settled on the counter behind him, pulling out the map from yesterday and scattering a few tools across the surface. He arranged them into what seemed to be categories: scissors, screwdrivers, pliers and so on, before packing them away into a compact black bag. He made two.

Haise rapped on Saiko's door. The omelettes were almost ready and he already knew that Saiko would need more than a few minutes to wake herself up enough to join them in the kitchen. 

She emerged just in time, wrapped in a thick, fluffy blanket that went over her head, pinched together by her hands at her neck. With eyes half open, she smiled lazily at the plate of breakfast in front of her and immediately began to smother it with salt. "Thanks, Maman."

"Not too much," he warned, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. He leant against the counter, looking towards the other two on the sofa. "Urie! Mutsuki! Breakfast is ready!"

Urie cracked one eye open. Haise couldn't tell if he was being looked at with hatred, or if that was just Urie's regular gaze, but it unnerved him enough to look away from them and settle at the table anyway.

Shirazu shoved his map onto the floor as Urie joined them for breakfast, a sleepy-looking Mutsuki following briefly after. There was a moment of silence as everyone ate. Then Urie yawned, and Shirazu scoffed.

Urie rose an eyebrow, to which Shirazu returned a mischievous grin. "Tired, Urie?"

The boy in question frowned, immediately sensing a teasing on its way. Shirazu held his gaze, and when he realised he wouldn't reply, sent a look towards Saiko which recruited her immediately.

"Oooh," she started, lifting her chopsticks into the air dramatically. "He must have been using a lot of stamina."

"A very _rough_ workout," Shirazu confirmed, sharing a chuckle with her.

Urie placed both his hands on the table firmly and shot a glare at them. "Go on, idiots. I know you're itching to say the punchline."

Saiko giggled, placing her elbows on the table and resting her head on the palm of her hands. "It's okay, Urie," she teased. "We know you're tired because you and Mucchan were making _passionate_ love on the sofa all night."

Mutsuki's face instantly burned red. His hands flew up to cover it, but not before Shirazu and Saiko caught enough of a glimpse to get a kick out of his reaction, both bursting into laughter.

Haise's eyes widened a little at the crude remark. Urie scowled, stabbing his omelette with his cutlery. "Don't say stuff like that," he scolded. "Haise might believe you."

"Why shouldn't he?" Saiko sang playfully.

"We speak nothing but the truth," Shirazu said.

"Ha! For you two, lie is in your middle name," Urie shot back.

Saiko hummed. "I'd prefer the term 'prank'."

Shirazu rose from his seat, placing his empty dish in the sink. On his way past, he made sure to teasingly ruffle Urie's hair and pinch his cheek. "Aww, is wittle baby Urie still embarrassed about sex?"

"No," Urie seethed, clearly falling straight into their trap and becoming more and more riled up at the duo's mischief. He shoved Shirazu's hands away roughly.

"Really? At your big age? Congratulations," Shirazu continued.

Urie wasn't one to rise to Shirazu's teasing; he knew he was smarter than that. Yet today he was in a good mood and felt that a morning fight might be refreshing. He was confident he would beat Shirazu anyway.

He stood and faced him. "At least I can get some whenever I want. Bet you've never even gotten close to getting laid," Urie shot back, giving Shirazu his own smug smile.

Shirazu bared his sharp teeth in a grin. "You'd be surprised."

"Prove it, big man."

The pair immediately descended into a somewhat friendly fight: punches thrown around, a few kicks between the legs attempted, a choke hold here and there– but it was mostly about putting the other in a position to concede. 

Mutsuki, who had gotten over his embarrassment some time ago, calmly began to collect the empty plates from the table. He even passed the two scrapping boys to place the dishes in the sink.

"Shouldn't we do something..?" Haise inquired. 

Mutsuki shrugged. "They're just having fun."

Haise knew that he certainly never did _that_ for fun. Then again, he wasn't exactly the same breed as these guys. 

"Mm," Saiko hummed, getting up and grabbing onto Mutsuki's shirt. She hung off him like a koala. "Sorry for embarrassing you, Mucchan."

Haise came to the same conclusion as the others that Mutsuki couldn't always handle embarrassing things, and therefore needed to be comforted quickly before any real damage was done.

"It's okay," he reassured, pushing his fingers into her tangled, blue pigtails and scrunching the hair. Saiko smiled lazily, clinging onto him still as he began to wash the dishes. He smiled.

Haise glanced back at the more riled up of the boys who had somehow ended up down the hallway. Urie was attempting to pin Shirazu against the wall while the latter was stealthily snaking a leg around Urie's ankle. He tugged his leg, and Urie went toppling backwards onto the floor with a loud crash as his head collided with the wood.

Before Shirazu could launch a counter attack, Urie has arched his back and kicked his legs straight into Shirazu's stomach who stumbled back into the wall. Urie stood quickly, pulling his hoodie off over his head and tossing it to the floor. The white t-shirt underneath was the first item of clothing Haise had seen Urie wear that wasn't black. 

"Ooh, stripping for us now, pretty boy?" Shirazu teased.

Urie's face remained in its usual frown.

"That's enough," Saiko said, striding over and standing between the two boys. It was quite amusing to see her holding back a fight between two boys at least a foot taller than her. She immediately reached up and pulled Urie down to her height by his ear, swiping away some blood from a busted lip. "The more beaten up you two look, the easier you'll be identified."

"I can cover some of it with makeup," Mutsuki offered. 

Shirazu stood up straight, scratching the back of his neck. "You're right. I suppose we'll have to start getting ready soon."

Urie pulled away from Saiko sharply, turning his head away with a scowl.

The group dispersed after that. Mutsuki took Urie to the bedroom in order to clean up his face. The two could be heard lightly squabbling from the hallway, something about makeup and something about maturity, but even Haise was so used to the background noise now that he could drown it out. 

Saiko disappeared into her room. 

Haise helped Shirazu clear the table where he arranged a small, beige bag. Inside he placed a pocket knife and a small can of pepper spray, as that appeared to be all that could fit, before closing it. He then collected the two bags he arranged earlier and added a small handgun to each before leaving to the same room as Urie and Mutsuki.

Urie was the first to emerge from the bedroom, dressed slightly less extravagantly than the last party. Instead, he wore neat, black trousers and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. The top button was left undone and his hair was parted subtly in the middle to appear more mature as those who worked for the company tended to be.

He approached the table, grabbing one of the black bags and securing it to his waist. He tossed a maroon jacket over his shoulders, effectively concealing the pouch from an outsider's vision. Pulling on a pair of silky, black gloves, he completed the sleek outfit, looking more ready to confirm a business deal than disarm a bomb.

Haise, having felt useless merely standing around, had taken to cleaning up the kitchen as it tended to get messy after a few days of use from the teens. He cast a glance towards Urie who was securing a handgun under the back of his jacket. He couldn't help but notice an air of calm to the boy, suddenly looking alarmingly mature. It worried Haise. He may look developed and ready to fit in at a business gathering, but that did not take away from the fact that the real mission of the night was to disarm a bomb.

A real, live bomb that, if not effectively deactivated, could and would cause a huge loss of life in a matter of minutes. 

Did the pressure not bear down on Urie like the weight of a thousand lives? If it did, he didn't show it.

Shirazu was next out, adorning a similar outfit to Urie but with a simple black tie and matching jacket. He too hid the black bag beneath his clothing before starting up a conversation with Haise regarding one of their biggest problems should they encounter it.

"So, you know Furuta, right?"

"Not personally," Haise replied, placing a dish in the cabinet. "But he does have quite a reputation around the company."

"What kind of reputation?" Shirazu inquired, leaning against the counter.

"Well, to put it simply, erratic," Haise responded, turning to face the two young men. "He had a tendency to make impulsive deals and renovations. His sporadic behaviour led to many positive business deals but also many negative ones. I'd say most of the company would be glad he's resigning. You want a director to be calculated, not impulsive."

"Sounds like trouble," Urie grumbled. 

"We should factor in the chances of the bomb being set to blow much earlier than 9pm," Shirazu confirmed. "We'll have no time to waste."

It was soon after that Mutsuki emerged from the bedroom, leaving Haise just as surprised as the last time. Like the other boys, he wore white in the form of a fitted dress that was short but modest. His makeup was dark and smoky in a way that avoided any cute or youthful interpretations, and his hair was kept down with only a small, white hair clip keeping one side of his hair swept behind his ear. His matching heels were only so tall to make him nearing the height of Urie, and yet managed to secure the loose business look that the group were going for.

It came to Haise's awareness that seeing Mutsuki dressed that way made him uncomfortable. Not only because of the seductive intentions of the look but also the distressed boy trapped within it. It made Haise uncomfortable knowing that Mutsuki was uncomfortable, a feeling which continued to haunt him throughout the evening.

Mutsuki kicked one leg up onto a stool in a very 'un-ladylike' fashion, grabbing the small, beige bag Shirazu had assembled earlier and tying it around his inner thigh so that, upon pulling his dress back down, it was concealed beneath the fabric. He then clung to Urie's arm.

They discussed plans briefly, how to react if xyz goes wrong and once again Shirazu drilled the locations of the security cameras into their heads. 

Saiko appeared a while later from her room. "Look at these bad boys," she said, tossing each of them a forged company lanyard with fake ages and company roles.

"Wow, Saiko. These are perfect," Shirazu commented, placing it around his neck. Haise recognised the lanyards very well, he had one of his own stuffed in the pocket of a shirt somewhere, and noted that they looked very legitimate. He himself couldn't even tell the difference. 

Urie glanced at the time, crossing his arms over his chest. "We should aim to get there as soon as possible."

Shirazu agreed. Haise prepared a quick meal for them before the group headed out the door at around 6:15pm with guns in their pockets and a goal in their minds.

Haise watched them go with worry, quickly grabbing a stool and following Saiko into her room. As usual, it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the obnoxious, blue glare of the screens as he settled beside her. He fidgeted in his seat, catching Saiko's eye.

"Are you nervous, Maman?"

"A little," he admitted sheepishly.

She smiled. "Don't worry, we've done this kinda thing a thousand times. They'll be fine."

He worried anyway, and as the minutes ticked by, he only felt his anxiety grow stronger. 

"Saiko, we're in," came Urie's deep voice around 6:50pm. There had been a general buzz of conversation emanating through the earpiece for a while but now his voice was finally clear against the background discussions. 

Saiko began typing and quickly a security camera was showing the huge lobby of Haise's work building. It took them a while to locate the group, who had taken to a crowded corner amongst other groups.

Mutsuki stayed close to Urie, but resisted holding onto him for fear it may appear immature. The oldest he could pass for was only around 19 or 20, which was still young to be a part of the company. Best not to risk any further evidence that he was underage. 

Urie stood by, hands crossed over his chest. He scanned the room for any familiar faces or red flags, but most everyone just seemed to be normal employees at the start of a buzzing ceremony. 

There was a small stage arranged where the front desk would usually be, supposedly where the handing over of the company would take place. The ceiling was incredibly high, and from it hung various banners and machines which pointed coloured lights onto the floor below. As the evening turned to dusk, the room became darker and darker, more like that of a club or bar, and the steady beat of music hummed amongst the crowded chatter. 

It was loud, but not so loud that you had to yell at the person beside you. Drinks were being served from a makeshift bar in front of the stage and overall the event had a formal yet hasty feel to it. 

The conversations around them were usually small talk, or along the lines of work or recent business. 

Shirazu turned to Mutsuki and Urie after doing a brief survey of the room, translating the map to their live viewing of the building. He explained what would likely be the best ways to go first, and recruited the pair in subtly making their way around the room, deducing where might be a good place to start. 

Mutsuki hung close to Urie of course, following him as they made their way towards the bar, only to swerve and linger near the edge of the room where a corridor hung open and dark. Shirazu noticed a light coming from a door off to the side of a corridor, looking closely to see if there were any people or voices emerging from the room, but it was difficult to tell over the loud chatter of the lobby. He requested Saiko to look into it, leaning against the wall casually to avoid suspicion.

Urie decided to move on ahead to a different corridor, only to be interrupted by a girl with pink hair abruptly stepping in the way. "Hi there," she started. Her eyes slipped down to Urie's lanyard, before quickly meeting his gaze again. "I couldn't help but notice that you're the same age as me," she exclaimed in an almost excited manner. "It's not often you see people our age around here."

It's not that Urie wanted to talk to the girl, nor did he find her presence amusing, but brushing past her like she didn't exist was more likely to cause suspicion than simply engaging in her small talk. It didn't take much for word to get around about 'that rude boy over there who ignored me', and following eyes only made it harder to slip away. 

"I'm Hairu, by the way," she said, stretching out her hand formally. "Hairu Ihei." Urie couldn't help but notice her preference for trousers and a shirt rather than the sleek dresses most women were wearing. 

"Urie Kuki," he responded, shaking her hand politely. He could practically feel Mutsuki's eyes boring into the back of his head.

It wasn't that Mutsuki was mad at Urie, after all, he was only doing what he had to in order to avoid suspicion. He wasn't jealous of the girl either, despite her pretty, pink eyes and soft, pale skin. However, he couldn't help how his insecurities flew out of control at times like this. Everyone feels that way about the person they like, right?

He was a little more distant from Urie now, who had attempted to move on, and Shirazu, who was a few metres away by the wall. Everyone around him was either talking or drinking in a group; it made him feel alone. Did he look suspicious standing there on his own? He fiddled with his hands, just as something to do. Nobody was paying attention to him though, right? That was the problem with gatherings like this, after all. Nobody notices what's going on around them. Humans are self-centred creatures.

"You alright there, Darling?"

Mutsuki's skin began to crawl as someone's hand landed on his shoulder, the cold voice unfortunately close enough to be directed at him. 

He turned, ready to push their hand off of his shoulder and quickly slip into the crowd but his eyes met the inky black gaze of none other than Torso himself. The hair on the back of Mutsuki's neck instantly stood on ends. 

"U-um, I'm alright... thank you." He wanted to slap himself for how meek his voice sounded. He had dealt with so many of these horrific cannibals before– complimented them, touched them, _kissed them_ – and yet none so far had felt as... dark as this one. 

Neither had he ever been sought out like this before. He usually had to approach them first, strike up a conversation or fake bumping into them. If he had been approached, it was after placing himself very specifically in their line of vision, but this was the first time he had been caught off guard. 

"I don't think I've seen you around before," Torso continued. "I definitely would have remembered."

Mutsuki hated to be hit on. In fact, it was one of the few things he truly dreaded in this world, along with blood, misconduct and Japanese hornets (he found those particularly frightening). Nonetheless, listening to people discuss to what extent your appearance pleases them was never quite Mutsuki's favourite activity.

"Ahh, thank you," he replied, fiddling with his hair in a manner that might outwardly appear bashful, but was really to calm his raging nerves. 

"Are you here alone?"

Torso's eyes lingered down on the smaller boy. He felt somehow exposed, like he was standing there naked in this huge crowd of people, so far from home and the comfort Urie.

Something inside Mutsuki screamed at him to say no. The part that was vulnerable. The part that was told over and over again to not walk alone at night, or expose too much skin, or look at someone the wrong way because, if something happened, he somehow would have been asking for it. He wanted to cling to Urie and hiss at Saeki to _go away_. His clothes hung too loose. The bag pressed on his inner thigh. 

"Yes, I'm alone."

"Good."

Mutsuki somehow knew that, in that moment, he had messed up. That this evening would not be like the others, and it had only just begun.

"Let me buy you a drink."

Urie had managed to escape Hairu's conversation with an excuse of paperwork he had left in his imaginary office. She was a sweet girl, even by Urie's standards, but that didn't change the fact that she'd be cold and dead by the end of the night if he didn't work fast. 

Upon approaching a new corridor, he felt a heavy hand fall onto his shoulder as Shirazu caught up. "I checked that other hallway, there's nothing there."

Urie nodded. "I got caught in a conversation, I haven't checked this one yet. Saiko, can you make sure nobody is around?"

"On it!"

They stood by the dark corridor. The sun had set and the room was now lit only by the coloured lights on the ceiling and a few fire exit signs glowing here and there. Urie turned to Shirazu, and then slowly frowned. 

"Where's Mutsuki?"

Shirazu gave him an empty look. "I thought he was with you."

"No, he was with you," Urie argued. 

Shirazu shrugged. "Saiko?"

"Hey, I was scoping out the corridor for you," she said, clear through the earpiece. "I can't keep tabs on all of you at once."

Shirazu sighed. "He probably just took initiative and went to check out the other corridors."

Urie gave him a dissatisfied frown, turning his head towards the rest of the room. The lobby was huge, not to mention crowded with people; they'd never find him in this mess without Saiko's help.

"All clear!" she chirped through the earpiece. "There's a staircase down the corridor on the left that leads up to the second floor. You'll be able to check the whole area from there." 

"Thanks a lot, Saiko," Shirazu said, slipping into the corridor with Urie at his tail.

"Saiko, find out where Mutsuki is. We'll be fine for a while," Urie requested.

"Mmkay," she hummed. "Mission 'find Mucchan' is now active."

The boys made their way through the corridor, silent but casual. Most of the lights were switched off and it was only the soft glow of late workers' lamps which gave them enough visibility to make their way through the hall. They split up, beginning to search individual rooms thoroughly. 

Of course, a bomb could have been placed above the panels of the ceiling, or under a loose floorboard, but they simply didn't have enough time to check all that. So instead they opted on looking in drawers, under desks and in cabinets and prayed that Furuta didn't have the brains to secure it somewhere that couldn't be reached. 

They made their way along the corridor, room by room, checking them off like dates on a calendar. They became so immersed, in fact, that Saiko's voice startled a small yelp from Urie. Luckily Shirazu wasn't close enough to notice.

"Found Mucchan," she said. 

"Where is he?"

"With Torso."

After buying them both drinks, Torso had urged Mutsuki to stand in one of the more quiet corners with him, where they made small talk until the conversation found a topic to follow.

Mutsuki felt anxious the whole time. The drink tasted sour and it didn't sit right in his stomach. What did Torso get him again? He didn't see.

Whatever it was, it must have been strong because he was only halfway through the glass and already the sound of the music seemed drowsy and slow. The lights felt brighter and hotter and his eyelids began to feel heavy, but there lacked the usual confidence of being drunk. 

"You alright there?" Torso asked

"Mmh, just fine," Mutsuki reassured. "You don't have to worry about me, Mr..."

"Saeki."

"That's a nice name," Mutsuki complimented.

"And you are..?" Saeki urged.

"Mutsuki. Mutsuki Toru," he responded formally. Luckily, on their lanyards Saiko had kept their names the same to avoid any slip-ups.

"Toru," Saeki said, as if feeling the word on his tongue. Tasting it for the first time. It seemed to satisfy him as he let out a quiet sigh, invisible to everyone but himself. He then turned his attention back to Mutsuki more directly, raising his glass. "A toast, to our meeting and the fate that brought us together tonight."

Mutsuki wanted to groan. Proposing a toast meant chugging down the rest of his drink, which he certainly didn't want to do– he'd get tipsy for sure. Nonetheless, he raised his glass to meet Saeki's, clinking them together before tipping his glass upwards and swallowing the contents. Saeki did the same, eyes on Mutsuki over the edge of his glass. 

When Mutsuki finished his drink, he felt the world dip before him from a moment; a very abrupt feeling of vertigo. He stumbled to the side and Saeki was quick to step forward and support him by his elbow. "Woah, steady there, Toru."

Mutsuki didn't think about the informality of his first name being used by a stranger. Instead, he was more focused on how alarmingly heavy his eyelids were becoming. He felt his breath shake, and the party around him sounded almost mute, like listening to music from underwater. Even Torso's voice had become fuzzy. Did he say something?

"What?" Mutsuki asked. He felt someone holding his arm. Where was he again?

The glass slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor. Nobody noticed. A dropped glass merely warranted a glance when the music was so loud over the top and someone else could deal with it. 

Mutsuki wasn't sure if it was a hand around his waist or sudden rising water. It felt cold. He felt hot.

Consciousness was slipping fast as Saeki held him close by his side, leading him through the crowd. 

_Are you Urie? Urie is holding onto me, right? Where am I?_

Saeki guided the boy towards an empty corridor, slipping past colleagues who didn't so much as bat an eyelid. Why should they? It was none of their business where Saeki was going with a young woman stumbling at his side. Perhaps she had missed a deadline. Maybe they needed to speak in private. Perhaps she had drank too much and Saeki was a gentleman kindly helping. Who cares? Why cause a scene when they could watch them pass by?

By the time they had left the lobby and were entering deeper into the building, Mutsuki couldn't tell left from right. This wasn't being drunk; this was something else. 

His feet began to drag, his body slumped. Even with Saeki holding him so tightly at the waist he was beginning to slip. He trod clumsily and one misstep on the heel caused his leg to snap abruptly to the right, sending his whole body rushing towards the ground. He collapsed on the floor.

His vision went red. Then purple. Then black. 

"That's it for the third corridor," Shirazu confirmed. The boys had secured three quarters of the floor by now, only one hallway remaining, six offices on either side. They worked together, each checking the rooms opposite each other to move more quickly through the building.

"Saiko, time?" Urie requested. 

"It's 8:20," she confirmed. 

"Damn," Urie mumbled. They had been here for well over an hour already and were yet to find a thing. Not to mention that the bomb could set off at any minute. The gathering was likely in full swing, judging from how the noise had rose through the floor. It made Urie anxious. "How is Mutsuki getting on?"

"Mmh, he went off with Torso a while back."

Urie slammed the draw he was checking shut. "What? _Where?_ "

"I dunno. They went towards the left wing where it's quiet, probably to get away from the crowd. I don't have access to the cameras over there," she sighed. 

"Well get fucking access," Urie said sharply. 

Saiko complained. "We don't need to. He can handle himself, Urie. Besides, he's probably keeping Torso distracted, he won't be able to talk to us. I put him on mute a while ago so we won't put him off."

"And so we don't have to listen to gross make-out sounds," she mumbled to Haise after covering her microphone with her hand. He nodded in agreement.

"I said, get access to that side of the building," Urie snapped.

"Okay, okay boss," she sighed, unwilling to argue with Urie. "But it's gonna take a long while."

"I don't care," Urie argued. "We said we'd keep an eye on him. Now find out where he is and unmute his–"

"Urie! I found it!" Shirazu yelled from across the hall. Urie's head instantly snapped towards the door, rising from where he crouched and rushing towards the room on the opposite side of the corridor. 

Shirazu pointed inside a drawer where, sure enough, the bomb they had spent so long studying sat casually, tick tick ticking away.

"We were right, it's set to blow at 9," Shirazu confirmed, noting how the 40 minutes displayed in glowing red began to disappear, counting down. 

"We have enough time," Urie reassured. "With two of us, we can disarm it safely in that time."

"Disarm what?" came a strong, female voice from the hallway. 

Both Urie and Shirazu abruptly stood up, turning to see a blonde woman standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a less than pleased expression on her face.

Saiko heard Haise gasp, "Mado Akira," in her ear, but was too preoccupied attempting to hack the security cameras of the left wing to think much on it. Her eyes stayed glued to Shirazu and Urie's screen, anxiously watching the uncomfortable scene unfold.

Shirazu took initiative. "That's our business. Please leave, this is my office."

" _No_ ," she said stiffly, stepping forwards into the room and switching the light on. "It's _my_ office."

Both Shirazu and Urie paled.

They had been caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for the comments, kudos and reads! It’s really encouraging!! :)


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